"It's kind of interesting to watch the reaction of people as they go by," said Tharon Chapman.

The reason he started camping out Tuesday night at 7 is pretty simple.

"The real reason is we're kind of bored, and we've been doing this every year for the last three years and we've never been first in line!" he said.

Chapman and his family will be first, no contest. When the doors open, he says he'll be running toward the laptops, and hopefully he'll get there in one piece. The video from a stampede last year at a Wal-Mart store is hard to forget. Shoppers trampled a security guard to death at a store in New York.

"Last year really brought to light that people need to have patience," said Springfield Police Major Ron Hartman.

He says officers will keep an eye out for unruly shoppers both in and outside of stores.

"We all know where the traffic issues are on Black Friday, and we're going to have extra officers in that area," Hartman said.

Another safety warning from police is to keep a firm grip on your purses and parcels while you're shopping, especially when in a big crowd.