HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — Black Friday is in full swing, and people in Hampton Roads and across the country are taking full advantage to grab those deals.
According to the National Retail Federation, 183.4 million people are expected to shop in store and online from Black Friday up until Cyber Monday.
Experts predict many people will head to Target, like Kim Blackman from Chesapeake, who was trying to find a Taylor Swift vinyl for her daughter. She told 10 On Your Side Black Friday shopping is a family tradition.
“I’m one of the OGs. I’m old. I mean, I like it, but I’m old,” Blackman said. “So, we were the ones that had the paper on Thanksgiving and mapping out our route and standing at the door when they opened.”
But she said in recent years, she’s noticed it takes a while for crowds to show up.
“It seems like it’s not as early,” Blackman said. “The crowds are usually coming out around 10 a.m. instead of real early in the morning.”
But it makes no difference to her, as she said her shopping is only getting started.
“This is actually our first stop,” Blackman said. “We’re on our way to Williamsburg.”
Another Target shopper told us what was on her Black Friday list.
“A TV and some games,” she said.
They’re things she said she got at a great price.
“[The deals] are good, they’re really good,” she said. “Yeah, they’re really good.”
She was expecting a large crowd, but was met with a welcomed calm shopping atmosphere.
“This is actually kind of nice today,” she said. “Usually it’s crazy, but today — it’s good today.”
At Patrick Henry Mall, a busy shopping day full of deals
To find Santa at Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News, all you had to do was follow the crowds of shoppers on the hunt for deals. Its parking lot was full of cars, and inside, shoppers had bags full of the deals they found.
“I was fighting my way through — there was traffic on the interstate pushing through everyone,” one shopper said. “Just enjoying it so far,” said Daequita Holliman,
Another pointed to the deal she got on shoes at Food Locker.
“His shoes were like $21, and they’re normally like $30, $40, so it was a good deal,” Kimberly Sanchez said “Around here, there’s really good deals.”
“I just bought three shirts that usually are $100 each for $120 [for all of them],” shopper Alonzo Robinson said.
Though many of the malls left across the U.S. are not doing as well as a number of retailers have set up shop elsewhere, the same can’t be said for a packed Patrick Henry Mall, and, the day after Thanksgiving, shoppers seemed to be thankful.
“I think it’s good, because the different malls around here have closed up, and I think it’s good to see Patrick Henry Mall still flourishing,” said shopper Robbie Halsey. “I think it’s a good thing.”
In Virginia Beach, finding more of what you want, at a less hectic pace
And though shoppers may be pinching pennies, they’re still hitting the stores despite concerns about inflation. Analysts expect a solid holiday shopping season, though many consumers are being cautious.
While there was a line of about 60 people outside a Virginia Beach Best Buy before it opened Friday, it didn’t feel as hectic to shoppers inside.
“Well, I was surprised that it wasn’t crowded,” said Maggie Searcy, who was there Friday. “I mean, in the past, every time I’d come shopping on Black Friday, there’s just lines, there’s people everywhere. The parking lot looks pretty crowded, but when you come in here, it’s not too crowded at all.”
Household staples like Best Buy are running Black Friday sales both online and in person, with those sales dating back to Nov. 8, which explains the lack of massive crowds normally seen on the day. CyberMonday deals also keep people from heading to the stores.
“We came in here to find better deals,” said Landon Kachuba, a Black Friday shopper at Best Buy. “I feel like, for a PlayStation, it’s a much better deal than online.”
Searcy also prefers shopping in person.
“I don’t really like the online experience too much,” Searcy said. “I’m old-school, so I like to see what I’m getting.”
The National Retail Federation estimates 85.6 million shoppers will visit stores this year, up from 76 million last year. But the Black Friday frenzy isn’t what it used to be.
“We shop online, but now they got everything,” said Torrance Seymore, referring to shopping in person. “At first, you couldn’t get everything you wanted on Black Friday — you had to camp out. But I guess stores have got a little bit smarter and said ‘Hey, let’s start getting stuff. Instead of getting 100 items, let’s get 1,000 items.”
So the Black Friday tradition continues — whether online or in stores.