Goodwill stores in Southern California offered the ultimate incentive for Christmas shoppers Friday in the form of free merchandise.

Goodwill will have about 200 freebies available at each of its 55 stores in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, a total of some 10,000 items.

"It's primarily a mix, a variety," Goodwill Vice President Peter Duda told the Los Angeles Times. "Employees weren't instructed to do anything like mark only the worst items, but just blindly go through and mix it up."

Goodwill has always been a venue for rock-bottom prices, but has more recently become a destination of the crowds of bargain-hunters who kick off their holiday shopping on the day after Thanksgiving.

This is second year Goodwill has offered free stuff on "Black Friday." The Times said some Goodwills had 30-50 people lined up when the doors opened last year.