SoCal shoppers get head start on holiday shopping

BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- Customers in the Southland used Thanksgiving to get a head start on holiday shopping and sales.

Approximately 400 people made their way through the door at the Target store at the Burbank Empire Center.

Customers trickled in at 5 p.m. with most looking for electronics.

Several waited in line outside the J.C. Penny store at the Glendale Galleria earlier in the day.

"We've been planning probably for three months on our side from an execution standpoint, so for my entire team, this is kind of a culmination of all that work," said general manager Bret Woliver.

In 2018, retailers took in $1.8 billion on this holiday. Whether in store or online, the National Retail Federation expects more than 165 million people will be shopping between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday.

There are only 26 days between Black Friday and Christmas this year. Last year, there were 32.