Shoppers Take Advantage Of Black Friday Hours, Deals
BOSTON (CBS/AP) – Black Friday shoppers flocked to local malls and outlets as soon as they opened after midnight.
Check: Black Friday Guide
There was a steady stream of bargain hunters at the South Shore Plaza in Braintree before sunrise.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports
Black Friday Wrentham Outlets
WBZ-TV's Jim Smith spoke to a woman who drove up from the Cape in the middle of the night to buy gifts for her seven grandchildren.
"Oh my gosh, we got some great stuff at the Disney store, did great in Macy's, in Target," she said.
There were long lines outside the Best Buy in Watertown, where some people were looking to purchase $1,000 TV's for just $500.
The Wrentham Village Premium Outlets opened at 12:01 a.m., but people lined up in the parking lot at 10 p.m. Thursday to get the best spots at their favorite stores.
A woman from Lynn told WBZ NewsRadio 1030 she drove to Wrentham to get some discounts on higher priced gifts.
"Deals that you can't find every day," she said.
The early returns look promising for the major national retailers.
According to WBZ NewsRadio 1030's David Caruso, WalMart reported 10 million transactions between 6 and 10 p.m. Thanksgiving night.
So what are people buying?
Caruso said 2.8 million towels were sold, along with two million televisions, 1.4 million tablets and 1.9 million dolls.
Target claimed their online sales are the highest ever, twice what they were last year.
The Retailers Association of Massachusetts is forecasting a 3.5 percent increase in sales over the holiday period compared to a year ago.
The prediction, based on a survey of the group's 3,500 members, is slightly below a national forecast of 3.9 percent growth in holiday sales.
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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