Black Friday 2012: Even Pregnant Women Are Camping Out Early

Black Friday 2012 is bringing out the deal seekers in droves. Years ago, people started camping out in preparation for Black Friday morning doorbusters. Now people are going to even more extreme lengths to nab the best deals. Even a pregnant woman is risking herself for holiday shopping.

Danielle Winrow of Tampa, Florida is not camping out for Black Friday, but she did camp out briefly early this Sunday morning before store hours for a one-day deal … while nine months pregnant!

“I’m nine months pregnant and I’m having contractions,” Winrow said, “so we’re just going to sit here and wait and hope everything goes o.k, to get them their present. Then we’ll go to the hospital.”

Some people are arriving a little too early for the Black Friday sales. Last week, on November 14th, two women in El Cajon tried camping out in front of Best Buy. That is, until security guards kicked them out, telling them they should return on Thanksgiving day.

According to one of these campers, coming “on time” means missing all of the best deals. She described her reasons for coming so early: “Last year, I came on Tuesday and I was 17th in line. They only had 15 TVs.”

For most Black Friday campers, the incentive is purely financial. “Our time is almost getting paid back just by the savings,” one shopper said. Kaleb Jones says he’s spent all five of his birthdays waiting for Black Friday. Campers like Jones bring all the creature comforts of home with them, including computers, televisions, blankets, games, snacks, and so on.

Unfortunately, many retail store employees will be missing their own homes and family on Thanksgiving Day due to the Black November madness. Walmart employees are fighting back, with 1,000 protests promised nationwide. Walmart is responding by bringing in its legal team.

What do you think about the Black Friday campers: good financial sense or just plain crazy?