Today is the holiday season’s official kick-off. Before sunrise today, I talked to shoppers who had lined up as early as midday on Thursday at Best Buy in Roanoke to grab some major door buster deals for Black Friday.

The sales included $399.99 Sony laptop computers, $99.99 Kodak 6 MP digital cameras and $449.99 32-inch LCD televisions.

Bobby and Ashley Menkedick of Roanoke County were among the early morning shoppers waiting for Best Buy’s doors to open at 5 a.m. They planned to buy a $1,800 television that was on sale for $1,200.

Both had not yet slept during the night and instead headed to Best Buy to save their place in line.
To withstand Friday’s chilly temperatures, Ashley Menkendick said “you can prepare, with lots of jackets and hot chocolate.”

After Best Buy, I headed to Valley View Mall. Inside, it looked like a busy Friday or Saturday with people walking briskly through the halls, though it was 6 a.m. and still dark outside.

Two women who browsed the toy section at Sears said they were disappointed that the sales at some mall stores were not as large as in the past. I also asked them if higher gas prices would change their holiday spending this year.

Nikki Burton of Covington said she usually sets a Christmas budget and sticks to it. She's not concerned about gas prices impacting her spending.

“I have a range of how much I want to spend,” she said.

According to the National Retail Federation, up to 132.9 million Americans will shop this weekend.

Check out more photos from the morning here. The malls and other local shopping centers likely will be crowded throughout the day today and much of the weekend.

Don’t forget to let me know about your Black Friday shopping experience.

Have a good weekend!

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• Posted by Jenny Kincaid Boone in Winter Holidays
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