Happy Campers Wait for Black Friday ... on Monday

Two blue-shirted Best Buy workers shuffled past Keith Chaperlo as he sat bundled up on a bench outside the big-box store Monday afternoon.

"Crazy!" one jokingly said to Chaperlo, the second person in line for Black Friday deals.

"We've been getting that ever since I've been here," said Chaperlo, a Massillon resident who said this is his second year camping out outside the store at The Strip. He's got his sites set on computers and TVs this year, and he'll be darned if he isn't one of the first people inside the store when it opens its doors Thursday at midnight.

Chaperlo, who took a week's vacation from work for this, is in it for the long haul, other than a few short breaks between now and Thursday night.

"I'll go home and shower, and someone will sit in my spot," he said.

He said Monday night that he expected a couple more people to join in that night, and by Tuesday night he figured there would be about 20 people waiting outside the store — and it would only grow from there.

Chaperlo sat and chatted with a woman who didn't want to give Patch her name, but Chaperlo said they'd been the first people in line last year, too. They've grown a friendship through camping out together.

"We know we can trust each other to watch our stuff," he said. "It's a lot better when you trust the people (you're around). Time goes by faster, too."

Both sat through a few rainy days last year but are pleased about this week's weather forecast.

"We checked the weather — high 50s and sunny every day," Chaperlo said.

So, how did he know when's the best time to show up and still be one of the first in line at Best Buy?

"I was waiting to see when the first person got here. I did my drive-by last night," he said, adding a friend called Monday to tell him the first person had finally shown. 

"I was like, 'All right, it is on.'"