Andy Tullis / The Bulletin

Instead of watching football and munching on turkey, Scott and Lisa Ivie spent Thanksgiving Day waiting in the front of the line at Target.

Their quest: to purchase two 50-inch TVs.

“For 41 years, I’ve gone to the family’s (house) for Thanksgiving,” Lisa Ivie said Thursday evening.

But this Thanksgiving she decided to change it up.

The Ivies arrived at Target at 7 a.m. to start their Black Friday adventure. Thirteen hours later, they led the pack of about 1,000 shoppers who entered the store — all within the first 12 minutes.

At 8:22 p.m. they arrived at the checkout line with the TVs and a handful of additional items. By 8:41 p.m., they were walking out the door.

“It was a long day,” Lisa Ivie said. “It was fine until we got to the towels, which was the first thing … and then I got pushed, shoved and my cart got stolen.”

Target was their only stop of the night. For the two TVs, Lisa Ivie said, they saved about $740 total, which equated to about $57 in savings per hour the couple waited.

“You have to earn your stuff in life,” she said. “I was here all day, and I deserve what I got.”

The Ivies weren’t the only shoppers who paid their dues Thanksgiving Day to secure their spots at the front of the lines.

Chaz Borja of Madras arrived at Best Buy at midnight on Wednesday to ensure he could get a MacBook Pro.

“Our families hate us,” the 17-year-old said laughing. “They delayed my dinner because I’m here.”

But he said it was worth the wait.

“I kind of thought we were overreacting at first, the way we got here really early,” he said. “Sure there’s not that many people, but I’m first in line. I’m guaranteed what I want.”

The Ivies and Borja were the exception Thursday night. Most of the crowds didn’t arrive until about an hour or two before stores began opening, which started in the afternoon. It was a drastic change from previous years.

Last year, a line wrapped around Best Buy about two hours before its midnight opening. On Thursday only about 20 customers were in line two hours before the store opened.

Consumers throughout Bend had varying opinions about stores opening earlier.

Borja would have liked to spend Thanksgiving Day with his family, he said, but he had to work Friday. So waiting in line Thursday was more convenient.

Opening Thanksgiving night took away some of what the holidays are supposed to be about, Scott Ivie said.

“But you know, everybody is about saving money on a tight economy, so if you want to do that, that’s fine,” he said. “Fortunately, I’m still spending time with my family, so I’m OK with it.”

As Korey Horsell of Bend sat outside Kohl’s about an hour before the 8 p.m. opening, she said she likes midnight openings better because they are different than normal shopping hours.

“It adds to the excitement,” she said.

And Noreen Cruz, who arrived at Macy’s just before 7 p.m., agreed. But the deals made it worth shopping earlier.

“The fun part of Black Friday is getting up really early in the morning with no makeup on or anything and going to the stores and getting what you want,” she said.

However, she also agreed the earlier openings take away from the spirit of the holiday.

“I know today is a special day for people to be with their families, and I think it’s kind of sad that (employees) have to be here this early, especially on this day,” she said.

“(Of course,)I’m here, and the reason why they’re here is because I’m here.”

—Reporter: 541-617-7818, rrees@bendbulletin.com