Valley shoppers gearing up early for Black Friday

Black Friday looks more like Black Week. Shoppers are already camped out in front of Best Buy in La Quinta on Tuesday.

“I’m waiting for a TV, for a 50-inch TV for like $200, so you’re never going to get that deal any time of the year,” said Christopher Villalta, who is the first person in line ahead of the store’s Thanksgiving opening.

“The stores do propagate a lot of it. The stores do,” said shopper Tamara Melcher.

Some stores are staying true to the spirit of the holiday by remaining closed on Thanksgiving Day: Costco, Home Depot, Homegoods and TJ Maxx to name a few.

Others are opening as early as possible on Thursday, including Best Buy, Macy’s and Wal-Mart.

“It shouldn’t be that way because people should spend time with their families and now that all this high-tech stuff is coming out no one is really spending time with each other anymore,” said shopper Sabrina Cox.

Some workers are pushing back. “Our Wal-Mart,” a non-union group of Wal-Mart employees around the country announced they’ll stage strikes at more than 1,500 locations on Black Friday. The protests are aimed at improving work conditions.

But if you’re like the millions of shoppers who still plan to head out and shell out for holiday deals this week, here some tips to keep in mind:

1. Check twitter before you shop. Secret discounts are often pushed out on social media.
2. Ask stores if there are any online promotions or if they can price match. Sometimes you can get a discount even on items already on sale.
3. Download the app “Poach It.” The app scans any item, then scans the internet for available deals or discounts so you know if the price is right.

And if all else fails, there’s always online shopping…

“I find that Cyber Monday works for me,” Melcher said.