Black Friday kicks off Central Florida holiday shopping season
Black Friday made for long lines at the Orlando International Premium Outlets.
Thousands of people made their way Friday morning to find the best deals. The outlets were a good go-to for many looking to save.
“I’m looking forward to witnessing the madness of Black Friday,” said Josh, a visitor from Australia.
"It's moving really fast. It's crazy though, this line was almost to the street," Latavia Hightower, a shopper, said.
It also was an opportunity for shoe re-sellers like Jerard Martinez, who has dozens of Timberland boots he plans to sell.
“Not everybody lives in Florida, so they can’t really get the crazy outlet prices they offer here,” Martinez said.
Along with the long lines, shoppers saw the parking lot fill up pretty quickly. Lots were near capacity for much of the morning.
"We wanted to wake up early to get good parking. We did. We parked right in front of Nike. It was amazing," said a shopper, Lisa, who did not provide a last name.
The National Retail Federation says about 8 million more people are expected to be out looking for deals this year than compared to 2021.
This year, they expect 166 million people are planning to shop between Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday.
With so many people showing up to shop Friday, the mall extended its hours to a 10 p.m. closing time.
“It’s been really good. Very exciting. Lots of shoppers. Lots of deals,” said marketing director Lorena Garcia.
Garcia said with the traffic – take your time.