Shoppers line up early for Thanksgiving sales

CHICAGO (WLS) -- With Black Friday just a day away many shoppers are already taking advantage of holiday deals.

It's déja vu at Best Buy in Lincoln Park, where many shoppers have stood in line many years in a row.

"It was crazy because we came out...thinking we are going to run into the exact same people," said Christopher Neal, a shopper. "This is exactly the same line we were in last year."

Shoppers got in line at 7 a.m. Thursday, 10 hours before the store was set to open.

According to a National Retail Federation survey, 21 percent of Thanksgiving weekend shoppers started their shopping on Thursday, nearly the same as last year.

Black Friday remains the busiest shopping day with 71 percent planning to shop Friday, the same as last year.

Some shoppers said getting a head start was worth the long lines.

"Several stores had 50 percent off today so we tried to hit that up," said Tina Eslinger, a shopper.

"I like saving money," said Jada Mone't, a college student.

Kmart opened at 6 a.m. Thursday.

"They have deals today, Black Friday will be a madhouse," said Jeff Lyons, a shopper.

Darin Ortmann said he was shopping for a hospital toy drive. He did his research Wednesday night for the best bargains, hoping to make every second count in store.

"I looked online before and saw the stuff I wanted to grab," Ortmann said.

Many shoppers waiting in line for hours packed food. Some stores even had porta potties for shoppers to use while they waited.