SWFL sees good Black Friday turnout

Author: Sam smink
Published: Updated:

NEW YORK (AP) – Stores are welcoming a second wave of shoppers in what has become a two-day kickoff to the holiday shopping season.

The VP at Miromar Outlets tells WINK News, customers started showing up around 8 p.m. The outlet’s parking lots filled to capacity by 10:30 p.m.

There was overflow parking across the street and at Germain Arena.

WINK News caught shoppers up as early as 4 a.m.

The big question is, how much will Thanksgiving shopping hurt Black Friday?

Black Friday is relinquishing its status as the start of the holiday shopping season. In 2013, sales on Black Friday slumped 13.2 percent to $9.74 billion, according to ShopperTrak, which tracks data at more than 70,000 stores globally.

Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak, says how stores will fare Friday is uncertain. With stores pushing more deals earlier in the month, the holiday weekend has become less important. The period still sets the tone for the shopping season with sales expected to rise 4.1 percent to $611.9 billion. That would be the biggest increase since 2011.

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