Greenville shoppers search for Black Friday deals

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - The holiday shopping season is officially here. This Black Friday, many families around Eastern Carolina were up early to head out in search of deals.

“Always a tradition, always. We go every year,” Angela Smith said. “We get up early in the morning, get coffee, and we roll.”

Black Friday has been the biggest sales day of the year for retailers since the 50′s, but with customers now able to shop from their homes, many are avoiding long lines this year.

However, one Eastern Carolina shopper believes going in person gets you the best deals. She also said she loves the rush she gets on Black Friday.

“Oh, you miss the deals. If you don’t come outside, you gotta see the people and the crowd; that’s the fun, at least for me it is, anyway,” said Jessica Price.

Despite Black Friday promising some of the year’s biggest deals, some retailers said the deals extend far beyond Friday.

“We do run a week-long ad, so that does start on Sunday and ends on Saturday,” explained Joshua Daugherty, a sales manager at Academy Sports. “Customers do have the ability to shop all week.”

Holiday sales are expected to grow this year, just at a slower rate. The National Retail Federation projects an eight percent increase from years past, and Academy Sports are preparing for just that.

“We pulled everything forward, made sure that all the products were on the floor and were customer-facing,” Daugherty said. “And then we made sure we were fully staffed so that we could be able to handle the customers.”

According to CNN, chain retailers are also overstocked with items, which has them offering more discounts in order to clear out merchandise.

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