Jacob Alva holds a spot in line for his wife, Juanita Salas, and her friend Vicky Torres outside of Best Buy in Beaumont on Tuesday. Rick Sforza — staff photographer 
 
 BEAUMONT >> Black Friday shoppers are already lining up outside Best Buy here to get the first crack at holiday specials. 
 
 Shoppers Vicky Torres of Cabazon and Juanita Salas of Beaumont said they have been camped out since last Wednesday in front of the store at 1650 Second St. The pair camped out together at the store last year as well. 
 
 “It’s cold, but it’s fun,” they said, wrapped in blankets Tuesday morning. 
 
 Each year store manager Eric Tschudy said the number of “campers” increases. “We love Vicky here,” he said. 
 
 “On a fixed income, this is a great way to buy Christmas presents,” said Jacob Alva, who was holding his wife Juanita Salas’ spot on Wednesday in front of the electronics retailer when she stepped away. 
 
 Alva said he doesn’t camp but he does offer support for his wife. 
 
 “I just provide support. Things like food, charge cell phones, bathroom breaks,” he said. 
 
 Alva also said he’s not concerned about safety, “the cops and security out here are really good.” 
 
 Each year, retail stores draw shoppers with Black Friday deals of deeply discounted merchandise the day after Thanksgiving. Some stores have even begun opening their doors on the evening of Thanksgiving Day. ||||| Black Friday is still about three weeks away, but two friends in Beaumont are already camping out, ready to cash in on holiday deals.Vicky Torres and her friend Juanita Alva picked out their spots in front of the Best Buy in Beaumont last Wednesday.They're ready for the long haul, stocked with mittens, snacks and hot coffee."We're good to go," Torres said.Alva and Torres switch off sleeping at the store overnight, saving each other's spot. Alva's husband takes part if for some reason, they both need to leave."The point is to get the sales, because everybody is on a fixed income and we don't have that kind of money to splurge," Alva's husband said.When stores open for Black Friday, Alva and Torres are hoping to get a 50-inch, high-definition TV for $199.They say they get to talk to a lot of people while waiting out here. People say a lot of different things."They say you're dedicated. That's cool. Some say you're stupid," Torres said."They say they're crazy, but then they come and ask us can you save a spot in line, or can you do this for us? We're not here for that. We're just here to get our stuff and that's it," Alva's husband said. ||||| Getty/George Frey (Reuters) - U.S. shoppers had splurged more than $1.52 billion online by Thanksgiving evening, and more bargain hunters turned up at stores this year after two weak holiday seasons as retailers opened their doors early on the eve of Black Friday. 
 
 At the start of the holiday season consumer spending rose 16.8 percent year-over-year until 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracked 80 percent of online transactions at the top 100 U.S. retailers. 
 
 Surging online sales and a shift away from store shopping have thinned the crowds typically seen at stores on Thanksgiving evening and the day after, Black Friday, for the past two years. But a strong labor market, rising home prices and stock markets at record highs have improved shopper appetite this year. 
 
 Crowds at stores in many locations around the country were reported to be strong, according to analysts and retail consultants monitoring shopper traffic across the U.S. 
 
 "The turnout is clearly better than the last couple of years," said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners. "The parking lots are full and the outlet malls are busy." 
 
 The retail consultancy has 20 members studying customer traffic in different parts of the country. 
 
 Moody's retail analyst Charlie O' Shea, who was in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, reported healthy traffic at local stores including consumer electronics chain Best Buy, clothing store Old Navy and retailer Kohl's Corp. 
 
 "The weather is cooperating and people here are out," he said. 
 
 The National Retail Federation is projecting that sales for November and December will rise 3.6 percent to 4 percent this year, versus a 4 percent increase last year. Non-store sales, which include online sales and those from kiosks, are expected to rise 11 percent-15 percent to about $140 billion. 
 
 In New Jersey, around 50 people lined up a Macy's at the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall before it opened and around 200 people stood outside the Best Buy store, many to pick up their online orders. 
 
 An employee check computer inventory that is part of a 'Black Friday' sale at a Best Buy on November 24, 2016 in Orem, Utah. George Frey/Getty 
 
 "Me and my husband have a bigger place and we need a bigger TV for the living room," said Jenipher Gomes, who bought a 50-inch Samsung TV at Best Buy for $399.99. Shopper Hammad Farooq said he waited at the store for an hour to shop for laptops and monitors. 
 
 In Chicago, shoppers appeared to be slightly less enthusiastic to emerge from their turkey slumber and crowds were thin along the city's popular shopping destination, State Street. 
 
 "There's a few more people than normal but I wouldn't call this crowded at all," Deloitte auditor Eugenia Liew said as she shopped at discount retailer Target. "I expected a lot more people." 
 
 The holiday season spanning November and December is crucial for retailers because it can account for as much as 40 percent of annual sales. Retailers try to attract shoppers with deep discounts. 
 
 Average discounts ranged between 10 and 16 percent with the best deals online on Thanksgiving evening available for computers, sporting goods, apparel and video games, according to date from Adobe. 
 
 The number of customers shopping on their smartphones surged, accounting for 46 percent of the traffic on retail websites, while traffic from desktop and laptop computers declined 11 percent and nearly 6 percent respectively, according to the data.
– Some stores are trying to resist Black Friday madness by refusing to open on Thanksgiving, but for die-hard shoppers, it's never too early to get ready for the mega-sales. Take Vicky Torres and Juanita Salas, who were already bundled up and camped out in front of the Beaumont, Calif., Best Buy weeks before everyone starts defrosting their turkeys. They've been there since last Wednesday, ABC 7 reports, and they're "good to go" for the duration, Torres says, with warm clothing, hot coffee, and food. "The point is to get the sales, because everybody is on a fixed income and we don't have that kind of money to splurge," says Salas' husband, Jacob Alva. The two women alternate who stays overnight to save their places in line, though there's no indication from reports that anyone else is actually in said line yet. If both women have to leave for a bathroom break or for any other reason, Alva takes over, he tells the San Bernardino County Sun; he also charges their phones and brings them sustenance. He's not particularly worried about his wife's safety, claiming "the cops and security out here are really good." Torres and Salas did the same "fun" thing last year—Best Buy's Beaumont manager tells the Sun "we love Vicky here." So what's their holiday must-have this time around? A 50-inch high-def TV for $199, they tell ABC. (Cyber Monday might be even bigger than Black Friday.)