Shoppers offer Black Friday strategies

Black Friday, an unofficial national holiday, had shoppers from across Delmarva out finding the right deals Thursday night, into Friday.

Dozens of folks braved the cold, standing in line at Target for doors to open at 6 a.m., waiting to pick from the variety of sales.  Some of those shoppers we talked to say they had been shopping all night.

"We started at Walmart in Fruitland at 6 o'clock," recalled Colleen Brewington of Snow Hill.

Others decided to wait until the morning to start their gift gathering.

"We have our dinner in the evening, and we play games after, so I'm not going to miss family time for a good deal," said Katheryn Byrd, of Mears, Virginia.

We asked for advice for Black Friday shopping, and we got a similar message among shoppers.

"Just to go out and have some fun," said Brewington.

Local Diane Piazza echoed that message.

"We just go out and have fun.  I have no strategy."

Byrd tells 47ABC she has a plan before she makes her way to the stores, going alone and staying away from impulse buys.

"I come by myself, and so I can weave in and out of the crowd a little bit…  I have a list, and I stick to my list."

She says sticking to that list has its benefits.

"Saving and just getting the best deals, and if I stick to a list I'm a lot less likely to wander around and get caught in something else I don't need."

However, Cindy Hay says her and Diane Piazza don't plan their Black Friday shopping, they're out for the experience.

"We did have a strategy, Starbucks was first…  Then there was a toss up between Kohls and Target, and which one opened first and which one opened second."

But for Katheryn, she says her plan of attack changes every year.

"It just depends on what I'm looking for that particular year.  This year I'm going straight to electronics."

About or 164 million Americans intend to shop at some point during the five-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, that is according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation.