"Good deal:" From TVs to groceries, shoppers took advantage of Thanksgiving Day savings at Meijer

WAUKESHA -- The deals started before dawn on Thanksgiving Day at Meijer in Waukesha.

“Surprised at how many cars were out here this early," said Penny Kennicott, shopper.

Well before the turkey went into the oven, plenty of customers took advantage of the Thanksgiving Day savings.

“It’s for my son, who is at home sleeping right now," said Joe Ebel of the 48" TV he purchased. "I normally don’t get up early, but to save 200 bucks on a TV, I figured it was a pretty good deal.”

And when it comes to the actual Thanksgiving meal itself, a store like Meijer -- open 24 hours with a grocery section -- can be a lifesaver.

“I took the day off (Wednesday) to do all of my cooking and things got a little out of hand and I ran out of time, so I went to bed early and I’m up bright and early because I am Last-Minute Mary," said Barbara Congdon.

Phil Kelley

“The top five items are cream cheese, butter, celery, cream of mushroom soup and sweet potatoes. Those are the top five items that people always seem to forget,"  said Phil Kelley, store director.

For Meijer employees, this is crunch time. They have to do it all over again on Black Friday with an entirely new slate of deals on TVs and toys.

“My staff is usually really, really fired up because they enjoy it. A lot of people actually prefer to work early in the morning," said Kelley.

While Meijer is open 24/7, the deals on Black Friday don’t set in until 6:00 a.m. Kelley recommends lining up early if you’re interested in the really hot items. But for most things, he says they have a good inventory to space out throughout the day.