Black Friday brings out shoppers to Watertown

Nov. 26—WATERTOWN — Shellie A. Green and 13 of her family members did what they always do on the day after Thanksgiving.

They went shopping on Black Friday together.

The group of Black Friday shopaholics made all the stops — Target, Walmart and the Salmon Run Mall.

"We do it every year with our family," she said relaxing at a table in the mall's food court while ready to call it a day.

Out of their Pillar Point house by 6 a.m., she was joined by her husband, her three kids, mother, four sisters, their kids and an aunt. The group broke up the day with a late breakfast at Cracker Barrel on outer Coffeen Street.

And they got a lot of good deals.

But it wasn't like the old Black Fridays of getting to Watertown's big-box retailers to be a part of a crush of shoppers at the door when the stores opened.

More people are shopping online, so the days of Door Busters have come and gone. This holiday season, national retailers, like Target, Best Buy and Kohl's, began offering Black Friday-like deals months ago.

They started early, fearing a glut of inventory, a lull in sales and higher costs for hiring holiday help.

Shoppers also will be spending more than past years because of inflation, however.

Yet the National Retail Federation expected more than 165 million people were going to shop during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, up from about 8 million from last year.

The Salmon Run Mall looked like previous Black Fridays, with a throng of shoppers at center court carrying bags with gifts in them.

At midday, a line of about 25 shoppers stood to get into Bath & Body Works.

Manager Danielle Roth said there was a line at 6 a.m. when the store opened, and it was steady all day long. Having visitors enter a few shoppers at a time made the experience more pleasant and less chaotic, she said.

Morgan Lavoie, who lives in Waddington, and Bobbi Smith, of Madrid, finally were at the head of the line after a 20-minute wait.

Target had even a longer line. "I maxed out all of my credit cards," Ms. Smith said.

Kathy Sergeant and four friends drove about an hour from their homes in Brockville, Canada, to spend Wednesday, Thursday and today in Watertown for Black Friday.

On Friday, the five women lined up at 4:40 a.m. when JCPenney's opened for the first deals of the day.

Before the COVID pandemic, they made the trip every year. It's been three years since the last time they were in Watertown for Black Friday.

Before the pandemic, the mall and other stores were a mecca for Canadian shoppers.

"We always came here, so we're back," Ms. Sergeant said.

They're leaving with two SUVs full of "everything," her friend Angela Barton said.

But Ms. Green and her family are cutting back on spending this year, $5,000 during pervious holiday shopping seasons to $3,000 this year, so they can go on family trips together.

But their shopping for Christmas will continue on until the big day.

"I'll get a little bit here and little bit there," she said.