Ready. Set. Shop.
Nicknamed "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving has consistently ranked between the fourth and eighth busiest shopping days of the year, with the last Saturday before Christmas ranking first, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Many stores offer discount sales. This year, Tempe will offer new shopping destinations such as the Tempe Marketplace to some ASU students looking for deals.
"This year we are in new territory, but I'm sure it will be the same rush it always is," said Matt Maestas, manager of the Target at Tempe Marketplace. "The majority of our employees have had previous experience with the holiday though, so I'm not worried."
Maestas said he expects to see about 200 to 400 people lined up as early as 2 a.m. outside the store before it opens four hours later, and even more if ASU wins the football game Thursday because fans will be in a good mood.
Target's sale is expected to run until 11 p.m. Saturday, he said.
"We've always joked the holiday is like the running of the bulls," Maestas said. "This year it will be the fast-walking of the bulls though because we have implemented a crowd control to make sure and inform guests of what we expect before opening the store."
Tempe Marketplace is expected to more than quadruple its security and police patrol in the shopping area, said Best Buy manager Travis Bryant.
The electronics store has been one of the most popular destinations for shoppers in past years, and Bryant said he expects that there will be thousands of people lining up as early as Wednesday afternoon for the sale.
"It's always interesting to me to see how people start lining up before the ads even come out," he said. "There's usually at least an hour and a half difference between the first person that enters the store and the last."
But other students such as nursing junior Kasei Storer are veterans of Black Friday.
She said in the years she has been shopping on Black Friday, chaotic shopper moments have not been uncommon.
"One time these two women started fighting over something pretty expensive and there were even some punches thrown," she said.
Reach the reporter at: kendall.wright@asu.edu.
