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Families spend Thanksgiving shopping ahead of Black Friday

Posted at 10:42 PM, Nov 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-22 22:42:06-05

LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Shoppers ate Thanksgiving dinner early Thursday and rushed out to get a head start on Black Friday deals.

Tanisha Chaudhari went shopping at Walmart in Estero with her dad and came prepared with a shopping list.

“...notebook, watch, new Barbie book, bike…” said Chaudhari as she read from her wish list. “And I have cool baker, cake pop maker and I have an ice-cream maker,” she continued from the list.

She wasn’t the only one who had one.

“Well, I’m getting a bike for my kid and an iPad,” said Dheeraj Shringi who also plans to use the $400 Apple gift card that Walmart is offering to buy a new iPhone.

Karen Liddle snuck out after dinner while her husband was watching a football game. She stopped by JC Penny at Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers. She said she stopped by just to browse, but found some Christmas gifts.

“I got a shirt for my husband, a sweater for my mother-in-law and a top for myself,” said Liddle.

She also found a great deal on the personal gift.

“The shirt that I got for myself, the actual price was $37.99 and it was supposed to be on sale for $13.99. I ended up paying with my $10 off coupon and it came out to be four dollars and some odd cents,” she said.

She said she plans to wear it to her trip to the Dominican Republic next week.

Raul Alba took his kids to JC Penny, too. He said he makes it a family affair every year.

“It was awesome spending some time with my kids,” said Alba. “We got a lot of stuff. We bought some luggage, comforters, clothes and a bunch of stuff for my kids and probably saved about $300.”

But this year he said it just isn’t the same without one special family member.

“My daughter passed away. She was killed. It was seven months ago and this time it was real hard for us,” he said. “Our first holiday without her.”

He said they’ll continue the tradition by wearing their new family pajamas they bought today. He even got a little something for his late daughter, too.

“A little souvenir for the Christmas tree,” he said.

Alba said he’ll put that ornament on the tree this year to remember his daughter.