Black Friday shopping: The early bird gets the deal at Cherry Hill Mall
"I like to see what I'm getting. I like to touch it, feel it," said Marlene Harley of North Philadelphia.
CHERRY HILL, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Gone are the days when shoppers would wait outside of stores and malls anticipating the moment they'd open for Black Friday shopping, right? Wrong. Shoppers still showed up before the crack of dawn at Cherry Hill Mall on Black Friday. While the crowds aren't as crushing as they once were, they're still there.
"Oh God, I woke up at 5," said Brendan Cohen of Marlton, NJ.
The doors of Cherry Hill Mall opened at 6 a.m. The biggest line to form was for the sneaker and clothing store Soleply. They'd spread the word about a deal that was worth the early wake-up call.
"Jordan One (sneakers) which typically sell for around $600 or $700, we sold them for 99 cents," said Thomas Yoder, one of the owners of Soleply in the Cherry Hill Mall.
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The other owner had memories of doing his own pre-dawn shopping for sneakers.
"I remember days when I used to camp out at this mall," said Soleply co-owner Dustin Billow.
Some of the shoppers Friday came with an agenda of which stores to get to for the sales.
Ava Greble went through her list quickly when the doors opened. She was done shopping by 7:15 a.m.
"We looked everywhere we wanted to," she said.
It's proof that in-person shopping is still what some people prefer.
"I like to see what I'm getting. I like to touch it, feel it," said Marlene Harley of North Philadelphia.
"Our traffic is almost back to pre-pandemic levels," said Lisa Wolstromer, senior marketing director of Cherry Hill Mall.
But not all of the shoppers are looking for the deals, some are in it for the experience.
"This has been a tradition since I was 16 or 17," said Cohen of Black Friday shopping.
