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'Black Friday Creep': Shoppers Hunt For Bargains Before Carving Turkey

BURBANK (CBSLA.com) — Retailers opened early on Thanksgiving in the hopes of encouraging some shoppers to burn off that extra plate of stuffing by hunting for big bargains the day before Black Friday.

KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports despite last year's melee at a local Walmart, all was calm even as some shoppers looking for deals on brand-name electronics came up empty-handed.

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A K-Mart store in Burbank opened its doors before dawn to a long line of shoppers, many who waited all night long to score a 42-inch TV for $199 or a $10 DVD player.

But K-Mart isn't the only retailer pushing what's being touted as the "Black Friday Creep": Sears and Toys-R-Us will open their doors at 8 p.m., while Target will open at 9 p.m.

CBS2's Bobby Kaple reported that Best Buy in Atwater Village will open at the usual midnight.

For some, shopping is part of a long Thanksgiving tradition.

"I did it with my kids all those years, and now grandkids wanna come out and do it, too," shopper Patti Medel said.

Police hoped the relative calm was a sign of things to come as officers bolstered their presence to prevent a repeat of the melee last year after a shopper unleashed pepper spray at a Walmart in Porter Ranch.

The LAPD has developed tailored security plans for every single shopping mall in 21 geographic districts across Southern California.

LAPD Commander Andy Smith said retailers have worked closely with police to ensure security remains a top priority.

"They don't want to be the subject of a disaster either," said Smith. "Nobody wants everybody in the country to look at their store as the one that had somebody, God forbid, get killed or crushed or some poor little kid get hurt in a fight over whatever the item is."

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