Black Friday Deals Draw Long Lines Early

Shoppers eager to get in on some early holiday deals lined up outside Wayne stores all day and night Thursday.

Wanda Jimenez from Paterson was the first in line at Kmart near the Wayne Hills Mall. She waited in line with her husband Steven to buy a 50-inch flat-screen television for less than $290.

“We ate Thanksgiving dinner right here,” Jimenez said with a smile. “It’ll be well worth the wait.”

The Jimenezes weren’t the only ones who gave up their warm homes to save some money on a hot item on sale. Some wrapped themselves in blankets for the chance.

Dennis Janitz missed out on Thanksgiving dinner too. He was the first person on line at the Toys R Us on Berdan Avenue. He was hoping to buy a PlayStation 3 packaged with a few games and controllers.

“I just hope they have it,” Janitz said. “I gave up my Thanksgiving dinner for this. They were serving it right when I left but I wanted to make sure I got here.”

Hope seemed to be a common theme at both locations.

Several dozen people at Toys R Us lined up for their chance to buy a Wii U, Nintendo’s newest home video game console. It was unknown how many the store had in stock.

“I just hope they have it. It would really stink to wait out here for hours and not get one,” said Amy Clarke, a Bergen County resident. “That thing is the only reason I’m here so they’d better have it.”

The Jimenezes said they and only a few others would be guaranteed the chance to buy the television they wanted.

“They told us they only had four in stock,” Jimenez said. “But then when more people starting showing up wanting one, they told the fifth person online they had five and then the sixth person they had six. We’ll see what happens.”

Still, others said that despite the time away from family and the cold weather, there’s something rewarding about Black Friday.

“It’s the thrill of being the first person to get something., to know that you definitely will get something,” said Amy McCabe, an Oakland resident. “It’s also fun just to hang out and talk with people.”

For a list of local Black Friday deals, click here.

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.