Central Florida retailers open their doors early for Black Friday shoppers

ORLANDO, Fla. — Central Florida retailers opened up early Friday for what’s expected to be a busy Thanksgiving weekend.

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According to the National Retail Federation, more people than ever are expected to do some shopping over the weekend with nearly 75-percent of all Americans saying they plan to go hunting for a good deal on Black Friday.

Shoppers packed the Orlando-Vineland Premium Outlets early Friday morning. Some said they waited hours in line just to get into their favorite stores to shop for the best deals.

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“Every Black Friday, we’ve seen just a growth in our shoppers,” Area Marketing Director for the Orlando-Vineland Premium Outlets Lorena Garcia said. “We do not expect anything less today, or over the weekend. We’re really excited.”

Customers arrived as early as 4 a.m. to get in line for their favorite stores.

“It’s the experience,” one shopper said. “It’s family bonding time, super fun.”

Mother and daughter Kristin and Deanna Tennant traveled from West Palm Beach to shop the Orlando-Vineland Premium Outlets. They say it’s a tradition they look forward to every year.

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“We’ve been doing this for about seven years,” Kristin said. “We love it…we started coming up to Orlando. It’s been fantastic.”

Jacob Cockerham and his family went even further, traveling to Central Florida from North Carolina, specifically to shop at the outlets. They say nothing beats the rush of Black Friday morning.

“I think that’s the biggest thing, just the enjoyment of going out early on Black Friday like we used to before Covid, and shopping,” Cockerham said.

One shopper from Belgium said it was a shock to see some shoppers waiting in lines for as long as three hours just to get the best deals.

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“Just checking this out is crazy,” Black Friday shopper Patrick Vanesse said. “This is really not normal. Did not expect to see this.”

The National Retail Federation expects 74-percent of people to shop this week. The biggest deals offered discounts on electronics, jewelry, and furniture.

While prices won’t be as low as they were on Black Friday, many of the stores at the outlets plan to have deals that run through the weekend.

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