Early birds get the bargains

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Shoppers across the country lined up long before sunrise this Black Friday to score the deals of the season. At the Tippecanoe Mall in Lafayette some stores opened as early as 4:00 a.m., giving shoppers a jump start on holiday shopping.

Hours before the sun came up here in Greater Lafayette, hundreds of focused bargain hunters laced up their shopping shoes and hit the stores.

"We opened at four (a.m.) this morning and we had hundreds of shoppers out there waiting for our doors to open," JC Penny manager John Cassady said.

From end to end, the Tippecanoe Mall was filled with items all at deeply discounted prices. Despite retailers having leaner inventories this year, shoppers say there are still plenty of bargains.

For people like Caitlin Cotton, Black Friday shopping has become somewhat of a holiday tradition.

"We basically just come every year and we never really know what we are going to get, we just shop," Cotton said.

Laurie Cupp and her daughters were out for the annual tradition of early bird shopping. Cupp said she likes to get her Christmas shopping out of the way early.

"Every year we get up and go shopping and take the girls out to buy their Christmas presents. Sometimes we try to hide it and run it out the car when they don't know," Cupp said.