San Jose

Best Buy Die-Hards Line Up a Week Early For Black Friday Sales

The turkey isn't even in the oven yet, and still, a few folks are lining up for the best Black Friday sales at the end of the week.

On Monday, the line at the San Jose Best Buy in Almaden Valley was two people strong, but the pair hoped for the usual 40 or so shopping die-hards to soon join them by pitching tents alongside the big box store.


Tony Martinez, 35, of San Jose, who drives for Uber and Lyft, said he is eying a desktop computer for his mom and fiancee. But he's really camping out for the fun of it.

"Yeah the deals, are pretty amazing," he said, "but I do it for the camaraderie. Where else can you go camping, maintain your job, and get pizza delivered? It's pretty fun."

He's been camping out way before Black Friday for the last four years, ever since Miguel Anguino, a caterer in San Jose, began organizing the loose event by word of mouth. Anguino really looks forward to the great deals, which he said has now become part of a community tradition. A cardboard sign above their tents reads: Thanksgiving got boring.

The two have been waiting in line for the last week, relieving each other as one waits and the other goes to work. Some people think they are homeless, but they've posted cardboard signs above their tents to say that they're not.

In fact, one of the signs touts that one of them works full time and even drives an Audi.

Anguino says his little event doesn't have an official name, although a few years ago, they called it out of jest, "Occupy Best Buy."
 

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