Black Friday shoppers across the United States lined up earlier than ever this year, as some stores opened their doors on Thanksgiving night.
Walmart stores were opened all day Thursday with Black Friday deals starting at 10 p.m.
In Porter Ranch, Calif., Wal-Mart shoppers were hit by pepper spray as fights broke out over discounted merchandise, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"This was customer-versus-customer 'shopping rage,'" Los Angeles Police Lt. Abel Parga said. Nearly two dozen customers and children reported symptoms of skin and eye irritation, and sore throats.
"She was competitive shopping," Los Angeles Fire Capt. James Carson said.
"I heard screaming and I heard yelling," shopper Matthew Lopez, 18, said. "Moments later, my throat stung. I was coughing really bad and watering up."
Lopez, who was shopping for video games, said by the time he made it to the video game display, it had been torn down. Fights over Xbox gaming consoles and Wii video games turned into a shoving match in the store.
"It was absolutely crazy," Lopez said.
Shootings in Walmart parking lots were reported in San Leandro, Calif., and Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Myrtle Beach incident stemmed from a robbery, WMBF, Myrtle Beach, reported.
Shoppers in the Washington area were lining up outside of Best Buys as early as Wednesday afternoon for TVs and other electronics, The Washington Post reported.
"I saw a good deal and didn't want to pass it up," said Javier Marin, 47, about the 42 and 55 inch televisions he planned on buying. "I'm missing Thanksgiving with my family but it's just one year. I can be forgiven for that."
Mike Masho, 25, was also waiting in line for the 42 inch TV at the Best Buy in Springfield, Va., but left after other shoppers let family and friends join them in line and he was pushed back.
"People who had been in line let their family just come out of nowhere and jump in, and the guards did nothing," Masho said.
He ultimately left Best Buy to wait with a buddy outside of a Target store for a comparable TV.
"I'm just going to head over there," he said. "For $100 more, I can get a slightly bigger TV and avoid this mess. I'm not doing this again next year."
Despite some groaning about stores being open on Thanksgiving, the move seemed to pay off for retailers, CNN reported. About 152 million people are expected to shop through the weekend, up 10 percent from 2010.
For those who decided to stay away from stores this year, more deals will appear on Cyber Monday. Eight-in-10 online retailers will be offering deals Monday, said a survey by Shop.org, an online division of the National Retail Federation.
