The first customer lined up in front of Best Buy in California at 8 a.m. Thanksgiving morning, to wait for the special “black Friday” opening at 5 a.m., a full 21 hours later.
At 3 a.m., store employees came out and issued numbered tickets in anticipation of the doors opening.
Lines also formed in front of Game Stop, where a deal on a handful of Wii game systems awaited customers.
See slideshow below for pictures of the crowd as the evening progressed.