Bay area shoppers line up on Thanksgiving

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Hundreds of shoppers lined up, some hours in advance of store openings Thursday, for the beginning of the Thanksgiving shopping weekend.

The National Retail Federation expects the holiday shopping weekend to be busier than last year. Nearly 59% of Americans, around 137 million people, will shop from Thursday through Sunday.

Black Friday is projected to be the busiest of the weekend shopping days, but 21% of those shoppers begin their shopping on Thanksgiving.

Lines snaked back from doors as Best Buy, Target and other stores in Tampa, where shoppers say there were deals that were worth leaving the house for on Thanksgiving Day.

At Best Buy, people waited in line for a 49-inch Toshiba 4K TV, priced at $200.
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"I think it's a great deal. A lot of 4K TVs are much more expensive," said shopper Elizabeth Howard.
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"I'm gonna get a laptop. He's gonna get a laptop, some game systems and I'm paying for everything, in and out within 10 minutes," said shopper Rick Hilton, who put a tent down in line to save his spot last week.

Many stores will stay open into the early morning hours Friday, before reopening for Black Friday.