Victor, N.Y. (WHAM) – At the Eastview Mall, doors opened at 7 a.m., and at Von Maur at 9 a.m. on Black Friday, with the store manager telling 13WHAM there was a huge line waiting outside their doors.
Von Maur Store Manager Leah Kohler said, “It’s just like a flood of people into the store because they’re all waiting to come in.”
Thousands of people visited the Eastview Mall, searching for deals and the perfect gifts.
Rochester resident, Mary Jo Costello, said, “I think there are some good deals, a lot of 30% off, and you just have to get out there early so the size that you want is there.”
Mary Jo and her daughter, Jackie, have made Black Friday shopping a family tradition.
“We’ve been doing it for 30 years, and we just, probably more than that, and my mom and I come out every Black Friday,” said Jackie Collins.
“I love in-person shopping. I love feeling the materials, trying things on,” said Collins. “I think there’s nothing better than getting out into the store and seeing the things that you wanna buy for your family and friends.”
The hardest part of their Friday morning wasn’t finding their wish list items but finding a parking spot.
“The traffic wasn’t too bad, a little bit slow getting in, took a few trips around the mall to get a spot to park, but not too bad,” said Costello.
Leah Kohler has been the store manager since 2016 and has worked on Black Friday for many years.
Kohler said, “So, it’s definitely been extremely busy this year, early, so which is great.”
“In-store shopping, people are always like, Is it a dying trend? And it’s, you know, it really is not,” Kohler said.
Mary Jo and Jackie don’t plan on stopping their tradition anytime soon.
“We just enjoy getting out and just starting to get a handle on some of the gifts that we need to buy,” said Costello.
“People like to do online shopping now, but I love seeing the hustle and the bustle and all the cars and everyone, even if it’s to wait a few extra minutes in line, I think it’s worth it, and it’s a great start of the holiday season,” Collins said.
It’s estimated that between in-store shopping and online purchases, Americans will spend about $20 billion on this year’s Black Friday.
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