Shoppers say Black Friday is about tradition, not deals

Gretchen said the mall will close at 1 p.m. and then opens at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.

Many stores opened Thanksgiving to let people get in on the bargains early.

“It’s been very busy from about 7:30 this morning, and is picking up as the day goes on”, Arruzzo said.

Several area retailers were reporting successful days on Friday, which in recent years has competed with the Saturday before Christmas as the busiest shopping day of the year.

Some stores at the mall stayed open all night.

The mall will hold extended hours throughout the holiday season to give shoppers more time to purchase gifts.

Whiting said the mall prepares all year for the holiday rush, even bringing in a special crane to hang the giant ornaments that adorn the spaces between stores.

The National Retail Federation states that sales in November and December are expected to increase by 3.6 percent to $655.8 billion this year.

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Lowry’s experience aligned with those of most Friday morning shoppers around the county (save for people who braved lines for 99-cent poinsettias at Home Depot).

This year, early signs show US merchants who do business online can look forward to enjoying a very lucrative weekend.

Many stores reported having extremely high sales. All three wore matching shirts that read “Black Friday Shopping Team” on the front and “Team Oz” on the back, short for Osborne.

The parking lot was flooded with cars even after Black Friday started yesterday.

Sari, 43, a neuropsychologist who lives in Norfolk, says it’s not so much about the consumerism as it is the quality time with her mother during the holiday season.

“I was surprised”, Hunt said.

“This is what we do on Thanksgiving weekend”, she said.

In fact, by 5:30 a.m., Friday’s online shoppers were out in full force, having already spent $490 million, according to

Further up in the line, Cindy Wise of Cameron and Angelina Riggs of Moundsville said they arrived at 9:40 a.m. that morning and were planning on spending the night in their tent.