BLACK FRIDAY...err, THURSDAY!?!

This was the scene outside most large retail stores on Thanksgiving, 2013. The store pictured above opened just moments after this shot was taken.

ERFotos went out to see what all the fuss was about with Black Friday; “Friday” meaning Thursday evening. Having embarked at 7:00pm, we were not prepared for the amount of stores that had already opened their doors. Best Buy opened at 6pm while other stores such as Kohls and HHgregg held out until 8:00pm. Characteristically, Walmart had been open all of Thanksgiving Day but waited until 5:00pm to start the best deals.  In previous years most of these unparalleled sales had been saved for midnight on Friday, offering a traditional view of people lined up in front of the stores in the blistering cold waiting for the doors to open and mind-blowing deals to be put in their hopeful hands.

A group of hopeful shoppers wait in line to grab the best deals after dinner on Thanksgiving, 2013 in Carlisle, PA.

So why start on Thanksgiving this year? What percentage off is so tempting  that we spend all day cooking, cleaning and eating with loved ones only to shove them out the door so we can go shopping? We asked a number of people why they were out, what they were looking for and how long they had been waiting. We received a number of seemingly quotable responses:

"I don't wanna have to fight through lines and all the craziness of tomorrow so I came out tonight hoping, y'know, that most people would stay home BECAUSE it's Thanksgiving, you know?"

 "The deals start tonight, so I'm out tonight."

 "It's tradition for my mom and me to go out shopping on Black Friday, and this year it's Black Thursday, but it's still tradition. Besides, if we go out tomorrow, we might miss out on the good stuff."

And ERFotos’ favorite:

 "I don't know."

 Contrary to our expectations, most people did seem to be in good spirits. I found myself wondering if tensions are lower due to the door-busters starting so much earlier. Is it because this is more convenient than having to stay up incredibly late or get up extra early on Black Friday just to wait in line in the freezing cold hoping to beat strangers to the low priced TV or tablet they've been dreaming about?

What surprised us the most was the number of folks that weren't looking for something specific; no checklist, no dream-item, they were just out and about, willing to endure and looking to see what was available or what might strike their fancy.

Kathy (pictured below in pink) was hoping to score a low-priced T.V.,  while Hannnah and Daniel (below Kathy) were just out perusing deals at one store while their mother shopped the entirety of the strip mall nearby.

Kathy (left) pictured with her friend whose name we did not get because we were speeding through the line and forgot. You were awesome though!

Daniel and Hannah

We would have liked to get more experiences from people waiting in line, but as previously stated, most of these stores opened just an hour after we hit the streets and the lines very quickly became crowds inside the stores, where our cameras sadly, were not allowed. We did get to talk a bunch of cool folks though, Like Jessica and John(pictured below) who were on line waiting for the store to open, after already been out shopping at another location.  They had their ad in their hand and were hoping to purchase a pendant at a drastically marked down price!  We hope you guys got what you were looking for!

Jessica and John

Finally, we have Jillian and her grandmother, out to get headsphones, really awesome headphones, at a really awesome price and Jess who was interested in new kitchenware!  Jillian also hoped to locate more boots as she seems to fancy multiple pairs of the same boots in a variety of colors.  Good luck Jillian, and if Grandma is shelling out the dough, maybe it is a good idea to get out and spend it when the savings are at their best of the year!

-Marc F. Owner/Photographer ERFotos.com

Jillian and her Grandmother

Jess here is headed straight for the Kitchen dept. as soon as the store behind her opens its' doors.

Black Thursday, 2013.