Black Friday Sales Bring Out The Shoppers Early
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Stores had been open for hours by the time Black Friday rolled around at 12:01 a.m. but the crowds kept coming all looking for that magical deal for the item they, or their family member can't live without.
The annual onslaught of shoppers was mitigated some by countless stores opening up as early as 6 p.m. Thursday evening.
Stores like Walmart and K-Mart opened their doors Thursday hoping to capitalize on the shoppers who couldn't wait just a few more hours until Black Friday officially started.
The Thursday sales actually had a new term created for it, "gray Thursday," but by Friday, the larger crowds began to explode into stores across South Florida and the country.
Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise saw crowds shopping all night long looking for the best deal possible at more than 350 retailers in the complex. Sawgrass Mills officials will keep the mall open until 10 p.m. Friday, giving shoppers around 24 hours to find their favorite items.
Target, which also tried to capitalize on the hunger from some shoppers said Thursday morning that it had seen a "very successful start to its shopping weekend." Target said its Black Friday sale will run through Saturday while supplies remain. It also said "Cyber Week" will kick off on Sunday with over 100,000 online items on sale.
But, as with every Black Friday, things haven't gone smoothly around the country. Reports of fights at shopping centers and even a police officer being dragged in a parking lot were among the reports from across the nation on Black Friday.
Still, in South Florida, so far everything has been peaceful as retailers continued to ring up sales and customers filled out their holiday shopping lists.
