Businesses in the Philadelphia region saw an influx of customers on Black Friday as doorbuster deals led to large lines packed parking lots at shopping centers.
At the Target in Cherry Hill, customers lined up outside before the doors opened at 6 a.m., some ready Pop star Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour book or a vinyl copy of the album “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.”
At King of Prussia Mall, the self-titled “Black Friday Team” was out in full force, with matching T-shirts to prove it. That’s just a little nickname for Media, Pennsylvania, native Jeannie McCauley’s family.
They were in line at the Lululemon store in the mall at 5:45 am
“We get up, we leave the house at 5 in the morning and we go to Wawa,” said McCauley, describing the routine that has been in place for more than a decade.
They go grocery shopping in the morning and are back home by noon at the latest to prepare a lunch of Thanksgiving leftovers.
“We sleep… at 12:30,” she said.
Meanwhile, shoppers in South Jersey danced and sang through the Cherry Hill Mall, and everyone seemed to be in the holiday spirit as they hunted for big discounts.
Tim Sylvester, his niece and his dog Ricardo dressed up for the start of the Christmas shopping season.
“Me and Chloe get up at 6:30 every Black Friday. We go to the restaurant for breakfast, and then we go to bed. [the] Cherry Hill Mall,” Sylvester said.
CBS Philadelphia
The shopping center opened at 7 a.m. on Black Friday and the crowds only grew as the morning progressed.
“Shop ’til we drop. You know, the sales are great this year, so it’s been fun,” said Simone Adeshina, who lives in Pine Hill.
Due to changing shopping habits, physical stores continued to compete with online shopping. But many shoppers say walking through the mall on Black Friday is a long-standing tradition.
“I went with my mom since I was little and now I go every year,” said Mackenzie Bailey of Medford Lakes.
“First we’ll go to Kohls, and then we’ll go to Target, and then we’ll go to Old Navy, and then we’ll have breakfast at Olga’s Diner, and then we’ll come to [the] Cherry Hill Mall,” said Felice Livecchi, who lives in Cherry Hill.
They were far from the only ones outside on Friday morning. Images from Chopper 3 showed shoppers packing parking spaces at Christiana Mall in Delaware, the Cherry Hill Mall and the Gloucester Premium Outlets in Blackwood, New Jersey.
At the outlets, a line of cars waiting to pull into the parking lot spilled onto nearby Route 42.
Retail experts have told CBS News that consumers looking to save some money on gift giving this year could earn it Black Friday 2024 will break spending records.
And because Thanksgiving falls a little later this year, the shopping season is shorter. Because of that, mall officials said they expected traffic to be heavier than last year.
“Long lines at many of our stores, lots of shopping bags, it’s a good indication that the season is going to be good,” said Lisa Wolstromer, senior director of marketing.
