Electronics the focus of Black Friday for many Merced residents

At Best Buy in Merced, minutes before 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, dozens of people started folding up their lawn chairs and blankets after waiting in long lines for several hours.

Samuel Zarate had been waiting in line at the electronics store for about four hours with some family members, he said, all hoping to buy new televisions. Zarate purchased a 40-inch LG television and saved about $130, almost half of the normal price, he said.

“I’ve never had my own TV,” the 20-year-old Merced resident said. “I’m ecstatic. If you get here early, it’s worth it.”

It was Zarate’s first Black Friday experience and he said he would “definitely” do it again because “it’s the one day out of the year to save hundreds of dollars.” He expected Black Friday shopping to be hectic, Zarate said, but it was actually calm and easy.

“It was fun,” Zarate said. “I had a good time talking to people and hearing what they want.”

Armando Curiel was visiting his grandchildren in Merced from Jackson for the holidays, and, right after eating a Thanksgiving meal, he headed to the Best Buy line, getting there a little before 2 p.m., he said.

“It’s also fun and a good time to kick off the shopping season right,” Curiel, 61, said. “If it’s a bargain you need, it’s always a good opportunity to save some money when you can.”

He had his mind set on a Canon camera that came with several lenses and a memory card at a total savings of $150, the best deal he could find, he said.

“In the end, it’s more bang for your buck,” he said. “It’s worth the wait.”

Target on R Street opened Thursday at 6 p.m. and, by then, there was a line that had wrapped around the building. People cheered as they poured through the doors.

Jacob Benaviees was one of the first people in line at Target, showing up at 9 a.m. Thursday. He was looking to buy a hoverboard and a 50-inch flat screen television. This was his fourth time waiting in line at Target because he said it usually has a lot of good deals.

Benaviees, 18, said he waits until Black Friday shopping starts every year to buy electronics, especially televisions.

“By the time everyone gets in, it’s crazy,” he said. “I get in, get what I get and I get out.”

Erin Ram, 31, hops around different stores in Merced every year on Thanksgiving, she said. She came out of Target having saved at least $120 on a baby monitor and some DVDs.

“People were walking fast but there was no pushing or running,” she said.

After Target, Ram said she was going to Walmart for a half-priced trampoline. She said shopping during Black Friday deals is beneficial and exciting.

When it comes to game consoles, video games and other electronic merchandise, many flocked to GameStop on Olive Avenue, which opened at 5 a.m. Friday.

According to GameStop store manager Paul Kevan, the line of waiting shoppers stretched to an AT&T store about 1,000 feet away by the time his store opened its doors.

Well before 6 a.m., Kevan said, his shop had sold out of the Nintendo 3DS Super Mario Black Edition, going for $99.99. Nintendo made this model exclusively to be sold on Black Friday, he said, and the most similar model to this one goes for $200.

“For 100 bucks it’s quite a steal,” Kevan said. “It’s the most cost-effective way to buy a 3DS.”

Black Friday is usually the best time to buy game consoles, according to Kevan. This year, all of the Xboxes are $50 off and the PS4s are $50 off plus a free game. All pre-owned game consoles are “buy two, get one free.”

This story was originally published November 25, 2016 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Electronics the focus of Black Friday for many Merced residents."