Last year Garrett Todd hoped to land a 40-inch television on Black Friday.

So he waited. And he waited. And he hoped.

But by the time the line finally worked its way inside, all of the doorbuster deals had disappeared and had taken those hopes right off of the table – or at least the wall in his house where he had hoped to mount a crystal clear LCD display.

He wasn’t going to make the same mistake this year.

At 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, while most people were getting ready to put the turkeys in the oven he was sitting down in a low-slung lawn chair on the sidewalk outside of Target. He had an ice chest with drinks and a blanket to keep him warm and the knowledge that when the doors opened at 6 p.m. he was going to get his television.

Those sorts of things are a guarantee when you’re the first person in line – you kind of get your choice of whatever it is they’re offering.

“I got here today at around 7:45 a.m. It’s the first time I’ve been the first person in line,” Todd said, adjusting the blanket across his lap. “Most years I’d be home with my family but not this year. I’m going to get that TV that I missed out on last year.”

And he represents a growing contingent of shoppers that are willing to set up on Thanksgiving Day if that means beating the crowds that have been known to flock by the thousands on Black Friday, forever known as the “biggest shopping day of the year.”

But that might be changing. 

According to an article posted by the Associated Press, one of the nation’s leading shopper tracking sites – ShopperTrak – predicts that the Saturday before Christmas could overtake Black Friday as the biggest shopping day of the year.

A lot of that, said one expert, had to do specifically with the Thanksgiving Day openings and the time they were taking off of the Friday openings and specials that have long dominated the retail landscape. 

Those that truly want something, however, don’t mind waiting for it.

Kevin Singh was only a few hours behind Todd and equally hopeful in landing the electronics that he shops for every Black Friday, whether it’s an Xbox One that comes with a $150 gift card, like he was standing in line for on Thursday, or a camera, laptop or television that he’s all picked up in previous years.

Mostly, he was enjoying the atmosphere that comes with the waiting, even if it meant sacrificing a portion of his Thanksgiving Day.

“It’s a chance to grab as many deals as I can at one time,” Singh said. “You only see these prices once a year, and I can pick up things for myself or family members that are in need.

“Unfortunately, being out here means that you’re away from your family and friends on a holiday. Part of me wishes they just went back to opening up on Friday that way everybody got to spend time with those closest to them.”

This year stores like Kmart, Wal-Mart, Target, JCPenney and Toys R Us all opened a day early while others like Costco announced early on that they wouldn’t be taking employees away from their families simply to make a few extra dollars on a day that would already be a draw. 

“Part of me feels bad that these people don’t get to see their families,” said 17-year-old Mackenzie Kehl. “But the other part of me knows what I want. I guess there are two sides to that story.”