Bargain hunters across the city, braving the cold and rain for hours to find the best deals, bought more electronics, clothing and jewelry than they could carry out of the stores yesterday on what analysts said could become one of the best Black Fridays on record.
Mike Chery, 26, had trouble loading his three brand-new 50-inch Viera TVs from the Best Buy in East Harlem into his pal’s SUV, so he had to put one in a cab to get home.
He was one of the first shoppers in the store, which opened at 4 a.m., and snagged the flat screens for $700 each — saving a total of about $1,000.
“Note the large smile on my face,” he said.
He managed to stuff two of the TVs into his friend’s Ford Explorer, but with no room to sit, he had to put the other one in a cab to get back to his Harlem apartment.
Ethan Smith, 23, started his day before dawn at a Target in Brooklyn, where he dropped $170 on DVD box sets of television series like “House,” “Big Bang Theory” and “Eastbound and Down” as well as a flatbread toaster oven.
After saving $267, he made his way to the Best Buy in Union Square, where he continued his one-day splurge, picking up two cellphones that were discounted $50.
“Black Friday is about opportunity,” the Queens resident said.
“These deals are hard to pass up. It’s a chance to ball like Donald Trump without having Donald Trump money.”
Legions of eager shoppers also lined up at Macy’s in Herald Square for its 4 a.m. opening.
Bianca Varela, 27, of Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, bought Monet Fashion bracelets and earrings for the bridesmaids in her upcoming wedding, spending $250 on the baubles — but saving more than $150.
She also picked up a Christmas present for her mom — a DeLonghi coffee maker for $73.99, marked down from $159.99.
“It was a pretty good bargain,” she said.
Josie Remese, 52, came all the way from Edinburgh, Scotland, to shop around the city this weekend.
She picked up three Guess handbags for her daughters and daughter-in-law.
“I saved almost $300!” she said.
Retail analysts were just as overjoyed, saying the early sales numbers would not only likely exceed last year’s tally but could be the best ever.
“This is shaping up to be one of the biggest Black Fridays we’ve ever seen,” said David Bassuk, a managing director at consulting firm AlixPartners.
And a study for the National Retail Federation said as many as 138 million people were expected to open their wallets this weekend, more than a 2 percent jump from last year.
One of the reasons for the increase, experts said, is that shoppers are more likely to buy goodies for themselves this year.
Among them was Manhattan resident Robin Kassas.
The 50-year-old started her marathon yesterday at the stroke of midnight by spending $500 on herself at Forever 21 in Times Square — while also saving $500.
She then headed to Burlington Coat Factory in Chelsea for its 5 a.m. opening and later planned to stop at Macy’s, JCPenney and H&M before finishing her 16-hour day.
Additional reporting by Erin Calabrese, Shari Logan, Annabelle Nyst and Annais Morales