Long Island shoppers get a head start on Black Friday deals

Some shoppers didn't even wait for the Thanksgiving holiday to come to an end before heading out to the stores and taking advantage of early Black Friday deals.

Stores rolled out their deals even earlier this year, with a shorter gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Katie Barnwell, of Mineola, says she used to stand in long lines during the shopping season, but not this year. She says she'd rather spend more time with family.

MORE: Black Friday Deals

Online shopping and stores opening earlier for deals have also diminished the Black Friday rush over the years.

"I will probably do all my holiday shopping online because I can't be bothered going to the stores on Black Friday," says Barnwell.

Meanwhile, Adolfo Gonzales, of Port Washington, was outside Best Buy since 10 a.m.

The competition between stores to get shoppers to take advantage of deals and discounts started early this year, with some stores offering deals as early as a week before Thanksgiving.

According to a survey by Bankrate, stores could expect a repeat of last year's holiday sales. About half of holiday shoppers say that they plan to spend the same amount of money as last year.

Most millennials, however, say they plan to spend less.

Rahul Akbli, of Plainview, says he, too, plans to hold onto his money a little tighter.

"I can't afford to spend more because of high rent, and everything goes up," says Akbli.