'Thankful to be here:' Deal hunters await Black Friday, pre-sales

WAUWATOSA -- Who needs Black Friday when you can burn off some Thanksgiving calories and the change in your pocket all at once.

Shoppers like Nick Triantafelo arrived around 3:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving. Others, like Becky Wade, staked their claim Wednesday afternoon -- she was second in line at the Best Buy store in Wauwatosa.

Black Friday hadn't arrived yet, but that didn't stop some people from taking advantage of some early-bird sales.

"Just trying to get the good deals that they have going on, like the Alexa Echo Dot. It's perfect," said shopper Francis Ford. "Thankful to bere here and catch these deals."

Doors at the Best Buy in Wauwatosa opened at 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, letting in about 50 people at a time. Best Buy employees say they've been preparing for Thanksgiving night and Black Friday -- some of the biggest shopping days of the year. TVs, the perennial hot-ticket item at Best Buy, and prices -- the name of the game, again.

For those waiting in line this Thanksgiving, it's worth it to get their hands on what they've had their eyes on.