Camping Out for Black Friday Deals

Pat Davis and his nephew Jorden Shelton have been camped out at Fredericksburg's Best Buy since 5 p.m. Monday.  It's their fourth year-in-a-row celebrating Thanksgiving on the sidewalk outside the retailer.

"I'm single, so this is an easy way to get a Thanksgiving dinner," joked Davis.  His sister Sharon -- Jorden's mom -- will deliver a complete Thanksgiving meal to the two on Thursday.

"She's really the driving force behind this," said Davis of Sharon.  Shelton agreed.  "Mom heard on the news that people were already starting to camp out for Black Friday, and she told us we needed to get down here," he said.  That's why Davis and Shelton began their odyssey Monday night.

"It's me and my uncle who are always here," said Shelton, who is a freshman at James Monroe High School and number 62 on the JV football team.

"My mom will bring us food every now and then," he said.  "I don't mind," he said.  "I don't have anything else to do.  And I miss out on all the Thanksgiving drama," he laughed.

Davis and Shelton both said the wait is worth it, because of the money they save on the big ticket items they want.  "Last year we saved almost $1,500 on the things we wanted to purchase," said Davis.  "We got three laptops for under $79 a piece, and a 42-inch big screen TV for $180." he said.

"I'm here this year for the Wii U," said Shelton.  They also plan to purchase a few laptops and a 50-inch flat panel television.  According to Best Buy's Black Friday Preview, a Samsung 55-inch Class LED, for example, will be selling for $799.99, beginning at 12 a.m. Black Friday. 

The first year Shelton and his uncle camped out for Black Friday, they were "way back" in the line, according to Shelton.

The next year they showed up on Wednesday, and they we're fourth in line.

"Last year we came on Tuesday, and we were first in line," said Shelton.  "We like being first," he said.

Both men insist they are not roughing it.  Their tent away from home includes a generator, a propane heater and their laptops.  As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, there were only two other campers behind them.

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