Thousands shop in Pueblo for early Black Friday sales

Parking lots were packed, carts were full of items and cash registers were ringing as people in Pueblo got a head start on their holiday shopping.

Some people skipped the Thanksgiving meal to be first in line for early Black Friday deals.

There were shops in Pueblo that opened as early as 5 p.m. Thursday.

Gabe Garcia is one of those shoppers who took advantage of that. He said it is easier to shop on Thursday night.

“We don’t have to waste our time getting up early in the morning. We can come while we are awake and fresh to buy everything we want during the day on Thursday. We have plenty of time to enjoy it until Friday or until the holidays,” he said.

The National Retail Federation said at least 25 million people will shop on Thanksgiving day in the U.S.