Black Friday frenzy underway as shoppers crowded into area malls

Local retailers are encouraged with the start of the holiday shopping season, saying it's the busiest they have seen in years, as crowds turned out in droves to take advantage of great deals.

CHERRY HILL, N.J. - Black Friday has wrapped for the day, but earlier, shoppers turned out in droves. Long lines dominated at the Christiana Mall, as well as the Gloucester Premium Outlets. And, over in Cherry Hill, parking spaces were hard to come by.

Workers at Cherry Hill Mall say it’s one of the busiest Black Fridays they’ve seen in years.

8th grader Penny Schmier said, "It’s very crazy. There are a lot of people. The lines are long, but they go by quick."

The Schmier family got up before the sun to experience their first ever Black Friday frenzy. Rachael Schmier explained, "We went to McDonald’s, we got bagels. We got them up. I don’t know, it’s just been fun and now we’re going home to collapse."

"You literally shopped till you dropped," FOX 29’s Ellen Kolodziej asked.

"We did! Look how many bags we have!" Rachael exclaimed.

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They have bags, all right, and big brother Jacob wins the award for Best Sport, saying, "It’s been a little rough. I’ve been in a lot of lines, but it’s not that bad."

The National Retail Federation predicts consumers will spend slightly more in 2024, at around $989 billion, even with fewer days to shop, because of Thanksgiving falling so late.

Lisa Wolstromer, with the Cherry Hill Mall, stated, "I definitely am feeling very good seeing the crowds and the number of shopping bags in people’s hands."

One South Philly trio says it’s about much more than shopping.

"Walk off some of that turkey. You better believe it. Yeah, get to walking and all that and exercising and just to bond with my friends," Wanda Blackwell said.

There are only 25 shopping days until Christmas, so be prepared for a lot of traffic, especially on the weekends.