More than 80 million Americans braved long lines and crowds and, in some cases, nightmarish traffic to get in on Black Friday sales.
Turnout at Bay Area malls were mixed, but one, in the east bay, was jam-packed all day long.
Even into the night, shoppers were still trying to get into stores at the San Francisco Premium Outlets in Livermore for Black Friday deals.
Some shoppers said it took them more than two hours to get into the mall from their homes, just a couple of miles away.
The roadway and foot traffic was heavy in Livermore, but not as bad as previous years in Palo Alto where shoppers were out early looking for door buster deals at the Stanford Mall.
“The deals are great, but they’re definitely pricier than what we were dealing with,” said Mitch Granodayan, a shopper.
“I was just buying something, and I was looking at the bill at the end, and I was thinking, This doesn’t seem like a sale bill, but everything was 40 percent off,” said Maya Shende, a shopper.
That’s in line with what Nerd Wallet is projecting, saying people will likely spend about $200 more this year because things cost more, so shoppers are taking advantage of deals wherever they can get them.
Close to 90 million Americans are also expected to avoid the traffic and long lines by shopping on-line this year for Black Friday bargains.
Source: NBC Bay Area