'You can feel it:' Black Friday shoppers flock to the mall for things the internet will never have
BALTIMORE -- This Black Friday represented a return to "normal" for many shoppers.
The mid-afternoon hours between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. are the busiest at the mall on Black Friday.
WJZ's Paul Gessler saw all sorts of shoppers at the mall in Columbia: some with lists, some browsing, but all looking for the best deals.
People who kicked off the holiday shopping season at the mall told WJZ why they wanted to shop in person.
"It's Black Friday. It's the day after Thanksgiving, said shopper Matthew George. "You gotta get all your deals."
"There's lots of deals and people are typically in a good mood because they also like the deals," said Haven Taylor of Baltimore.
While some say Black Friday shopping is a thing of the past, thanks to online deals, some shoppers are holding on to an institution.
"It's a tradition," George said. "You could go online shopping, but that's not as fun. You gotta be here in the moment."
There's also an aspect cyber shopping can't beat --
"Here, you can touch it," said shopper Mary Williams. "You can see it. You can feel it."
-- and you can feel the holiday season in the air.
"Black friday shoppers are serious shoppers," Williams said. "They come out early. They have a plan. They make a list and they are looking for bargains."
Santa is at the Mall in Columbia for pictures through Christmas Eve, and it also has a Thanksgiving food drive through Wednesday. So, before you shop, drop off some nonperishables for grassroots support of the Howard County community.
