Black Friday around the country

This year, you might say it was more of a Gray Friday.

Police in Lancaster city, East Lampeter Township and West Hempfield Township reported no problems overnight or this morning resulting from Black Friday shoppers.

At the Monroeville Mall, people were waiting in lines outside stores at 6 a.m.

Retailers are not only slashing prices, but they pay many employees overtime and now, on top of that, holiday pay!

The National Retail Federation estimates almost 136 million people to shop over the weekend, up from under 134 million a year ago.

The post-Thanksgiving sales bonanza has traditionally been aimed at the consumer space, but enterprise-focused firms have been touting their products this year.

Although many deals started on Thanksgiving Day this year, local shoppers continue to flock to stores in hopes of scoring a sweet deal. Stores like Best Buy in Vestal saw a steady flow of traffic throughout the store on both Thursday and Friday.

Retail-analysis company ShopperTrak says Black Friday is still expected to be the biggest shopping day of the holiday season. Black Friday, the day that brings an avalanche of deals and discounts from retailers around the country, should have something for everyone, whether you fearless the crowds in a store or browse from the comfort of your home. This year, Amazon is giving Prime members 30-minute early bird access to Lightning Deals.

“That way he’s watching it in his man cave and not the room I want to be in”, she said.

Oak Court Mall kept Thanksgiving hours to a minimum and reopened Black Friday at 6:00 a.m.to welcome a new wave of customers.

This is only the beginning for the shopping season. In Braintree, the general manager said they have extra security, but not because of any credible threats. Shoppers are already gearing up for Cyber Monday.

Some shoppers made a decision to skip the Turkey Day sales.