Black Friday shopping, holiday festivities bring families out across Philly region
"We got here early like 7 a.m. and we've been taking advantage," said Amy Bounds of Media.
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- It's a Black Friday tradition: setting those alarm clocks early to snag all the deals.
"We got here early like 7 a.m. and we've been taking advantage," said Amy Bounds of Media. "I would say Victoria's Secret was the most crowded store we've been in."
"We stocked up at Aerie and Lululemon, we got some leggings," said Wendi Ufberg of West Chester.
The King of Prussia mall was packed before 10 a.m., with many itching to get out of the house and shop for the holidays.
"I wanted to be around humans as opposed to sticking around and just being on my laptop and doing those kinds of things," said Bob Colon of Media.
And Black Friday shopping in 2021 is much different than last year's 2020 experience, which was synonymous with restrictions and many store closures.
"We were actually here last year, we had our masks on and everything, but this definitely feels like three years ago," said David Kowalski of Doylestown.
Over in Hammonton, New Jersey, there was a big crowd for this year's tree lighting ceremony and parade.
"This had been a Borda family tradition for the last 35 years with my children and my wife. We come out here every year, every Black Friday and shop till we drop," said Jim Borda.
"We've missed this so much. It's been really great and we got together with a lot of friends that live in town," said Kate DiBruno.
In Philadelphia, Shibe Vintage Sports brought out the Black Friday shoppers.
"It is lovely to be shopping in person. It's something I used to avoid because I just didn't like the craziness. But after a year being completely shut away from it all, I'm glad to be back," said Stella Zawistowski of Brooklyn, New York.
Although there are supply chain issues nationwide, Shibe's manager says they haven't faced major issues since most of their stock comes from local vendors around the Philadelphia area.
"This year we are seeing much more online sales from our customers," said Darren Nowicki, the manager at Shibe Vintage Sports.
