'It's so quiet': Some Bay Area shoppers brave lines for Black Friday deals amid COVID-19 pandemic
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- It's a Black Friday like nothing we've seen before. Many people are turning to the internet for deals, instead of shopping in-person. But, some are still lining up for store deals in the East Bay.
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"The biggest difference is that major retailers are not opening on Thanksgiving this year," Kristin McGrath is the editor of BlackFriday.com told ABC7 News.
McGrath says there will be as many deals online as in stores, so there is less of a reason to go out.
ABC7 News' Liz Kreutz went to find out if people were taking the COVID-19 pandemic seriously and visited the Best Buy in Dublin where it was "quiet" and not even at capacity.
VIDEO: Here's how retailers are changing their approach to Black Friday this year
"It's so quiet!" Kreutz exclaimed. "It's so not what we're used to on Black Friday."
Masseh Kohistani, a shopper who lined up around 3 a.m., got a good deal on a 50-inch television for $287.
"Not bad at all," Kohistani said.
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There was less than 100 people in line before 5 a.m. and once the store opened, lines moved quickly.
"A survey from Deloitte says 51% of people say they don't feel comfortable shopping this year, and it seems to be that's what's reflective here this morning," Kreutz added.
WATCH: SKY7 flew over Bay Area malls to see what the morning shopping rush was like
In Livermore, SKY7 showed crowds at the San Francisco Premium outlets with people waiting in line, at a social distance, in front of the Tory Burch store.
Although it may have been quiet this year, some still planned ahead to get their hands on one of the hottest commodities this season -- the new Playstation 5. Tyler and his friends waited in line since Wednesday to purchase one of two PS5s being sold at a Dublin GameStop.
