Los Banos was spared trampling crowds and Tickle-Me-Elmo fights, but shoppers were out in force last week not long after Thanksgiving dinner at some of the big-box stores for the chance to grab some deals.</p><p>Laura Sanchez was one of the many people who formed a line at Target on Black Friday that extended from the front door to the end of the building at about 3 a.m. Sanchez and the hundreds of others who endured 33-degree temperatures awaited the store's 4 a.m. opening.</p><p>"I'm here for the TV," said Sanchez, who was hoping to snag one of the $298 40-inch flat screens that Target advertised. </p><p>"I got my runnin' shoes; I'm pushin' everybody. I'm pushin' everybody and I'm runnin' up there," she said with a big smile.</p><p>Sanchez was not alone. Many of the people in line hoped to get their hands on a flat screen. The first three people in Target's line had arrived at 5:45 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, hoping to get one of what was later rumored to be only 36 sets available.</p><p>Black Friday, traditionally the first time retailers turn a profit for the year, had begun even earlier at Wal-Mart. The store opened up a minute after midnight on Friday. </p><p>"We're trying to get a laptop," said Brandon Briskin who, along with Veronica and Lilia Aldama, had stood in line since 8:30 Thanksgiving night. One of the Aldama sisters sported a wristband issued by Wal-Mart that the trio was hoping would be their golden ticket to getting their mother a $198 computer.</p><p>Despite the fact that Black Friday is best known for Christmas shopping, there were others who came in search of deals more for themselves than for others.</p><p>"This is the best time for yourself," said Sergio Mora who, along with members of his family, was filling his shopping cart with towels and sheets.</p><p>Mora had, in fact, taken the uniqueness of the evening to a whole different level by providing a Black Friday service -- at a cost.</p><p>"We've been here since 8 p.m. We were selling hot chocolate in the line. We went to Target, then to Wal-Mart, and we were selling hot chocolate to make money for this," he said. </p><p>"For years I've been wanting to do this. No one's ever sold chocolate up and down the lines. So, I've been tryin' to get my mother to come here and do it," Mora said. "It was pretty good, we spent $4 and made almost 60 bucks."</p><p>Barbara Howard, one of the executive managers at Target later said, "We really had a great day. It was lots of fun and there were lots of people."</p><p>Despite long lines of customers at the big-box stores on Pacheco Boulevard, Black Friday fervor appeared to be in short supply downtown.</p><p>Pearson's Jewelers remained closed all weekend.</p><p>"We had the opportunity to close because we had a wedding out of town in the Carmel area. So we took the opportunity to take some time off," owner Sherry Pearson said. </p><p>"Judging from past Black Fridays, most of the people that shop on that day are shopping at Wal-Mart and K-Mart, and they're going to box store sales and they really don't shop in fine jewelry stores that day."</p><p>A couple blocks down the street, Pereira Jewelers had been open.</p><p>Owner Tom Rouch's experience seemed to echo Pearson's sentiment.</p><p>"We did some business and stuff but, traditionally, and I'm talkin' about 30 years, Friday has never been the big day," he said. </p><p>"Nobody's gonna get up at 4 o'clock in the morning and come down to buy a watch or a bracelet."</p><p>According to Rouch, Pereira's was open on Friday, because that is when the store were scheduled to be open. </p><p>Added his wife, Laurie, "We were getting ready to have a [Chamber of Commerce] mixer on Thursday. Downtown is having an open house on that night and a parade on Friday. So, we were getting holiday ready."</p><p>Pereira's didn't do a record business on Friday, but the store did OK, Rouch said.</p><p>"The weekend was a good weekend, it was a brisk weekend but we weren't here at 4 in the morning," he said. </p><p>"Black Friday does not apply to downtown. It's corporate and that's the way it is."