Black Friday shoppers enjoy Thanksgiving sales

Black Friday shopping has turned into a two-day marathon. The question is: will stores opening earlier lead shoppers to spend more?

From the looks of the packed parking lot at the Mesilla Valley Mall, it was clear Black Friday shoppers were out in droves.

Inside the mall, stores were full of people hunting for great deals.

Some shoppers got an early start on Thanksgiving.

“Yesterday at Walmart they had that special. They had 32-inch TVs for $98 so everybody was in line trying to get that TV for that price,” said Stacy Naez, a Black Friday shopper.

When asked if she got one, she replied she bought three.

“There were people pushing and shoving and fighting, but the good thing is after four hours of waiting, we got what we needed,” said Carlos Marin, another Black Friday shopper.

They both came back for round two.

“We got a Blu-ray player, a touch screen monitor,” Marin showed off a full cart at Best Buy.

“I haven’t seen any fights yet. I guess I expected it to be more wild and crazy but everybody seems very civil,” Naez said.

That’s one thing a lot of shoppers noticed. It seemed the marathon shopping meant a calmer crowd on Black Friday.

Sales numbers won’t be out until Saturday. According to research firm ShopperTrak, last year’s Thanksgiving sales rose 55 percent from the previous year.

Several store managers told ABC-7 they think this year will be even better.

“We’re definitely seeing some of the shoppers that came out last night for the 6 p.m. door busters are back again today seeing what’s left over and picking up on the other special promotions that we have,” said Harry Gaye, the multi-channel manager at Best Buy.

One thing is clear: The tradition of Black Friday lives on.

“People don’t eat no more. They just come shopping,” Marin said.

If you’re not up for braving the crowds, most stores have some great deals online as well. There’s always CyberMonday.