Photo Credit: Facebook | Santa Clarita Community
While some Santa Clarita Valley residents might be upset about the Christmas Creep, the campgrounds outside of Best Buy seemed vacant Wednesday.
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Around 10:30 a.m. on the day before the madness was expected to begin, the campers appeared to have, at least temporarily, abandoned their posts.
Store officials discouraged customers from abandoning their belongings in front of the store, according to a corporate spokeswoman, although officials admitted the suburban store tourism created some gray areas for officials.
“We’d like to avoid people setting up tents and walking away for a week,” said Carly Charlson, a public relations official for Best Buy.
However, Best Buy officials were unable to cite a specific corporate policy regarding customers camping out in front of their stores.
A Best Buy manager said the store only controls what happens inside the store and that the parking lot and outside of the store are private property, separately owned and operated.
Santa Clarita Valley residents displayed a wide range of reactions to the campers on social media. Most commenters seemed perplexed and questioned whether or not the savings were worth the trouble, while others indicated they intended to join them.
“I did it once, on the first black Friday, at that Best Buy. Never again. What a waste. More into cyber Monday. lol,” said one commenter on Facebook.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials said they haven’t received any concerns or complaints from the property owners.
Under most circumstances, Sheriff’s Station deputies only would intervene if there was a public safety concern or issue brought forward, officials said.
Black Friday deals begin Thursday when Best Buy opens its doors at 5 p.m.
Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.About 61 percent of people say they will or may shop Thursday through Sunday, which equates to more than 140.1 million unique shoppers, according to NRF’s Thanksgiving Weekend Expectations survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.
For those shopping online, the FBI has issued some helpful hints intended to protect people from falling victim to any potential scams.
“Remember, if the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is,” according to a news release. “And, never provide your personal information to an unknown party or untrusted website.”
Beware of posts on social media sites that appear to offer vouchers or gift cards, especially sites offering deals too good to be true, such as a free $500 gift card, according to a news release. Some may pose as holiday promotions or contests. It may even appear one of your friends shared the link with you. If so, it is likely your friend was duped by the scam after it was sent to them by one of their friends. Oftentimes, these scams lead to online surveys designed to steal personal information, according to a news release.
When purchasing gift cards online, be leery of auction sites selling discounted or bulk offers of gift cards, according to a news release. When purchasing gift cards in the store, examine the protective scratch off area on the back of the card to see if it has been tampered with.
Be on the lookout for mobile applications designed to steal your personal information from your smartphone, according to a news release. Such apps are often disguised as games and are often offered for free. Research the company selling or giving away the app and look online for third party reviews before installing an app from an unknown source.