Unofficial Lines and Crowds Report

[bribri25]

Where did you go? What time did you get there? How many other people were in line? Were you able to get everything you wanted?

[Kanyon71]

We didn’t go out till 8am, no lines and didn’t really want anything so I guess we got more than we wanted.
 

Target, Walmart local Antique store. 
 

Everything else is online. 

[Kanyon71]

Kohls in the same parking lot as Target seemed to be pretty busy. I avoid them though so I’m not sure how busy they actually were. 
 

Home Depot across the street looked busy. We didn’t go by Lowe’s as we already got what we wanted there. Was going to go to BJs but the one thing I wanted from them (Ring Spotlight Cam with Solar Panel was sold out online and in our store. 

[tinkrbel]

I went nowhere and have seen 0 deals today. I've been stuck in car since 10am on drive back, just left Port St Lucie service area 10000% do NOT recommend as it's busy (no spaces left). We did break the Gideon's website earlier.

[bribri25]

• Drove by Target (opens at 6am) at 4:15am; 2-3 cars in the parking lot, keeping warm and not lining up yet.
• Got to Kohl's (opens at 5am) at 4:20am and was 5th in line (few more still holding out in their cars). Got $5 Kohl's Cash. Walked out with $15 graphic tee for $2.24 in under 2 minutes. There were at least 400 people behind me at doors opening.
• Got to JCPenney (opened at 5am) at 5:06am, walked right in grabbed my snow globe (only about 40 left) and $10 off $10. Walked right out.
• Got to Target (opens at 6am) at 5:18am. #22 in line. They were taking "preorders" for Taylor Swift merch so they could get the items ready for you from the crate. Limit of 4 of each item. I got my 2 Eras Tour books with ease. Ran the whole operation through self checkout. There were hundreds of people behind me at doors opening here, as well. I didn't hang around long enough to see if any chaos ensued waiting to get the merch (was actually pretty slow process), or when they ran out.
• Got to Menards (opened 6am) at 6:25am. Typical BF Menards; running low on some items already, but got everything I went in for (and actually nothing that wasn't on my list - I'm impressed).
• Back to JCPenney to use my $10. Mostly felt empty.
• Home by 7:30am

[Brad]

Went to a pretty large mall around 10. Not super busy but still busier than a normal weekend. Busiest store seemed to be Bath & Body Works.

 

Went to Target around 11. Was pretty dead. Not surprising since their deals have been available since Sunday.

[setlok73]

We went to L&M and then Menards.  The lines in both were short and fast.  There were tons of people at each store but things were quick and efficient.

[tinkrbel]

Strolled into Dollar General about 330ish after we unpacked minivan and sorted stuff and was able to get godson Xbox gift cards (they had them in checkout lanes so thankfully I asked before walking out). Just gotta try to find a deal on goddaughter's Sephora card. So far only Sam's with a weak $2 discount per 50 or similar. 

[HanShotFirst]

Small town shopping here.  We went to Dollar General this afternoon for gift card deals.  They were not crowded at all.  Went to Walmart afterwards and strolled around looking at all the BF displays that were still basically full.  Seems to not have been a very successful in-store event here in my little hometown Walmart.  I got a sheet set and that’s it.  

[ytmomof4]

Went out first thing this morning and nothing was real busy. Didn’t really want anything but got what I wanted. Went back out later in the afternoon because usually the crowds have died down some. I wanted to take my daughter who had surgery a couple months ago but, still had to use crutches. It was way busier than usual. I couldn’t get parking at Walmart close enough for her so, we will go back in the morning because they will still have everything 

[jmecherul]

Well, went to the closest outlet mall around 2PM.  The parking lots were kind of full, but traffic went a bit smooth.  found a good parking spot (by luck).  we were just there for mingling with the crowd, not really buying anything. stayed by the playground that the kid loves while wife perused.  Left around 5PM.  The place was a monkey house.  Long line of cars trying to still get in at 5PM.  Took a while for us to get out.  There were still lines at a lot of the more popular stores like Tory Burch, Nike, Timberland, Tommy etc.  Some still had like 100 people in line at 5PM.  I do not remember these many people in line at 5PM.  Bloomingdales had 50% on top of the clearance pricing, so you could get some really good deals like 90% off regular pricing.  

 

I suppose these major stores saw probably less traffic since they had these online sales going on for days already (even in store sales), and their doorbuster items were pretty poor. People hit the outlet mall instead.  I particularly see no reason to even step foot in a brick and mortar store anymore on BF unless like an outlet mall where there are more things to do than just shop for junk. 

[BFGirl]

It's been a long day of shopping.  I didn't get to bed from the Thanksgiving Day festivities and clean up until 12:30 am.  I  got to Home Depot just after it opened at 6 am to pick up a DeWalt Battery. 6 were in stock.  I got one.  Then I grabbed some of their storage totes and a step ladder.  There were three left. I didn't wait in line at all.

 

I left there and went to Old Navy.  I picked up one item.  They had 4 people working the register.  I stood in line for about a minute.  From there I went to Bath & Body Works to pick up lotion and hand sanitizer. Two people were in front of me there. 

 

I didn't need any BF items at Walmart but since I was passing by it, I stopped to pick up stocking stuffers. This was the first time I set foot in Walmart on Black Friday. It was as busy as it is on a weekday around lunch.  They had enough people working the registers to keep the lines moving. I didn't notice any lines at all.  The guy working the register was roaming around waiting for customers.  He said this store was busier than the store he typically works at on Black Friday.  I looked around and thought, "If this is busy, he must have never seen Walmart 20 years ago." However, I did notice that the Pick Up area was super busy.  I think a lot of people were ordering online for pick up. 

 

My final stop was Boscov's. I picked up some items there.  There was no line there either.  It was busier than Walmart!  It was fun and festive.  People were running into one another and stopping to chat.  I didn't realize how much I missed that positive background noise of shopping until then.  By the time  I got home, it was 10:30 am. 

 

I spent the next five hours shopping online for the items I couldn't find in store. So many things were sold out online too so I scrambled to find alternatives that would still be in the budget. Once that was done, I wrapped the gifts that I bought today .  When I received a few more gift ideas from family tonight, I decided to see if any of those items were on sale.  I made my final BF purchase at 11:45 pm.  

 

I did notice security was driving around the parking lot at Walmart. I had never seen that before. However,  there is a big South American retail theft ring that has been hitting the stores in this area for the last 18 months.  A lot of things are locked up anymore.  The phone stores now have metal security windows. My dd said Target has underwear locked up.   She also noticed that there were lines to get into the high end stores because they were only allowing a couple of people to shop at a time. 

 

 

 

[jroyster86]

Got to Target about thirty minutes before opening and there was a line outside, but mostly everyone (myself included) was there to snag the Taylor Swift vinyl and book first, and deals second. We went to another plaza after and it was hopping but not super busy. 
 

We went to a major mall around noon and it was PACKED. 

[mommy2twingles]

Went to Ollie's about 5:30 and they were out of the heater I wanted.  Off to Kirklands, Marshalls, Homegoods and TJMaxx with almost no wait at any of them.  Went to 5 below to grab some stocking stuffers and squishmellows and walked right to checkout.  Off to the mall for Bath and Body which was the longest line with about 10 people in front of me but they moved quick.  Most everything else I ordered online

[Bopeep]

Even though it was unnecessary, we stuck to tradition and left the house at around 4:30am. We went to Academy first since they were the first open on our list. Target was close by and I was curious about a line so we drove over to see, and sure enough there was a pretty long line down the front of the building. We backtracked just a little to wait for B&BW to open and went in there. What I needed was body soap though and I was pretty sure they have a better sale on that coming up (they do, should be 2 weekends from now) so I didn't buy anything in there. Drove back by Target, and the long line outside was now a long line inside so we decided to wait. We went to Lowe's, Atwood's (regional store, kind of like Tractor Supply), and Walmart before driving BACK by Target, at which point we wished we had gone in with the Swifties. They were super packed. None of us needed anything from Target so we didn't bother. 

After breakfast at Denny's (another of our traditions), we went to Ollie's and the Hobby Lobby outlet store.  In all of that, I only bought 4 things, LOL.  

 

I don't know if it's because we never did go in at Target, or because I didn't come home with much to show for the day, but I felt unsatisfied and like I had forgotten something for the rest of the day .

[HanShotFirst]

1 hour ago, Bopeep said:

Even though it was unnecessary, we stuck to tradition and left the house at around 4:30am. We went to Academy first since they were the first open on our list. Target was close by and I was curious about a line so we drove over to see, and sure enough there was a pretty long line down the front of the building. We backtracked just a little to wait for B&BW to open and went in there. What I needed was body soap though and I was pretty sure they have a better sale on that coming up (they do, should be 2 weekends from now) so I didn't buy anything in there. Drove back by Target, and the long line outside was now a long line inside so we decided to wait. We went to Lowe's, Atwood's (regional store, kind of like Tractor Supply), and Walmart before driving BACK by Target, at which point we wished we had gone in with the Swifties. They were super packed. None of us needed anything from Target so we didn't bother. 

After breakfast at Denny's (another of our traditions), we went to Ollie's and the Hobby Lobby outlet store.  In all of that, I only bought 4 things, LOL.  

 

I don't know if it's because we never did go in at Target, or because I didn't come home with much to show for the day, but I felt unsatisfied and like I had forgotten something for the rest of the day .

I felt that way too yesterday.  It was just a normal Saturday at the walmart here.  For nostalgia’s sake I bought a set of the $25 sheets.  

[cllehto]

Daughters and I left home around 4:35 to go to JCPenny for the coupons and snow globes. Maybe 50 in line at 4:50 when we arrived. Got the coupons and snow globes and headed to Kohls.

 

Let the daughters out by the entrance and parked the car. They got coupons but they were out after I parked the car.  It was around 5:30. Target was on the way and had a line past several stores at that time and their parking lot was busy.  We shopped for sweaters and checked out. Not really busy- checkout line only had a few people in it. Headed back to JCPenny to use the coupons. 

 

JCPenny had stopped handing out coupons but were handing out snow globes-there were still a hundred or more left. We shopped and paid for the items. The line was long but about a quarter of what a normal Black Friday would have had.

 

Next stop Lowe's for poinsettias. There were not many cars in the parking lot at around 7 am. They had racks and racks of the 2 for $12 poinsettias by the door outside and in the isle when you walked in. We looked around the area with the flowers and could not find the 2 for $3 ones. I asked a salesperson and was directed towards the end farthest away from the garden area. We didn't find them in the area we had been directed to but went a few rows further and found 2 people passing them out - there were still hundreds left. We selected ours and checked out.

 

On to McDonald's for breakfast.

 

Took a break to relax and then took one daughter to the airport for her return flight home.

 

Returned to JCPenny a few minutes before the 1 o'clock giveaway. There were maybe 20 people in line for the giveaway. It was in the middle of the store so you had to hunt for it...or ask someone. The coupons at that giveaway were for next week. We left.

 

Returned at 4:55 for the "golden shopping bag" giveaway. We were 2nd in line. We shopped for gifts for a few friends. When we checked out there was one person in front of us.

 

Around 6pm we headed for Bath and Body Works. It was packed. Much busier than the stores we shopped earlier.

[Hubbalance]

Wasn't able to get out in person yet again so thank you all for your replies in this thread. I enjoyed reading all your adventures.

[MariahA]

Dollar General had early activation for most of the 3 day sale items and I went Wednesday night and had the store to myself just about! Didn't go out Thursday or Friday and barely shopped online. 

 

My husband said Me canards at 3pm when he got off work was INSANE. He hid in the back half of the store for a while til that rush calmed down.

 

Today I picked up my lone Walmart order ($5 puzzle) and on the way home from the in-laws I went in to grab milk. Most of the displays that were over $10 looked untouched and LOTS of inventory.

[ljvoskuil]

We got to the Nike store around 2:00pm and had to stand in line for about 10 minutes before we got to go in. My daughter brought a jacket she really wanted for 75% off! 

[berry1014]

Left home around 9 am , went to the local walmart. Picked up everything I needed which was not much an went home. Walmart had a lot of their BF items all over the place. it was a pretty dismal and depressing BF. 

[mcwalker]

I left home at 4:25 am and arrived at JCP (Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island NY) at about 4:45 am.  There were about 25 people in front of me and by opening time were around 75 behind me.  Got a $10 coupon and snow globe.  After a few minutes in the store, I left to drive to a Lowes 1.5 miles away to see if I could get one of the buckets with free items for the first 25 My Lowes members to enter. 

 

I got to Lowes at about 5:25 am.  A few people were sitting in cars, but none was at the door when I arrived, as it was chilly.  Just a few minutes after I arrived, someone headed to the door and everyone else scrambled.  I was #7 in line and there were less than 25 people at first, but the line got to more than 25 by opening time.  

 

After Lowes I returned to JCP at 6:43 am, got another $10 coupon and another snow globe, then spent a while in the store.   As I left, they were still handing out snow globes but the coupons were gone.

 

I continued to visit various stores until early evening.  Until a few years ago, I would see large crowds in stores and parking lots from early opening time until around 1:00 PM, then crowds would dissipate in the afternoon.  As some others have noted, I saw much smaller numbers of people from opening until late morning, then the crowds picked up and peaked in the mid afternoon.  I returned to Roosevelt Field Mall to go to Macy's in the afternoon and both the parking lots and the store were packed at that time.

Edited December 2 by mcwalker

[Jeanne515]

I think Walmart really messed up on not having a physical ad this year.  Our small town Walmart still had towels, sheets, bath mats and everything else that years ago would have caused fights, LAST NIGHT.  No one knew of the sale unless you were tech savvy or followed this page.  I only got a Dolly Cookbook and one of the Eric Carle storybooks.  Usually I spend several hundreds on Black Friday in store. 

 

We went out Saturday to Bass Pro near Birmingham and they still had lots of their advertised deals.  I had to actually remind myself it was Saturday and not Black Friday.  

 

I miss the years gone by of standing in line and racing to see what we could get. 

[Kanyon71]

I don’t think Walmart had one last year. Not a fan of their new style with a ton of vendors I won’t order from. If I want an Amazon experience I’ll shop on Amazon. 

[lucyismycat]

We went to Walmart on Friday around 8am.  The store was dead, with merchandise stacked up everywhere.  I got an air fryer for DH and a blanket for DS14.  Then we went to Farm and Home.  WTH...I normally only shop there for chicken supplies when I'm in a bind, but this store was a zoo. No parking, the aisles were packed, lines were insane.  My DM wanted to pick up some lounge pants but after thoroughly searching the stacks of them, couldn't find the size she wanted.  We still managed to find a few odds and ends and stood in the infernal line to get checked out.  I needed to get a load of straw but decided to put it off to a less nutty day.  I never imagined that many people would be at the F+H on BF!   (later that day we went to the other store in our town and it was the same way...who are all of these farmers??? LOL) 

 

We also went to JCPenney, but it had a regular Friday crowd. I was only interested in the matching doggie/human sweaters but they didn't have anything to fit the meatball (dog), and I don't think we bought anything there.  We did go to Menards around noon, and it was quiet with a lot of merchandise still left.  I did NOT get the Christmas tree that I had been thinking about, after seeing it in person. I am still on the hunt for a good 9-12' tree.

 

I never set foot in our mall, Target, Meijer or any other stores - BF has lost a lot of meaning for me, the sales are lackluster and it's hard for me to get into it the same way as when there were printed ads.   Plus I've spent the last year decluttering our house and the standards for bringing something new in are a lot higher than they used to be.  As long as my DM is around and is able, I'll still go out for nostalgia's sake, but the days of it being a big shopping spree day are kind of done for me, I think. We did have a nice lunch out, tho 

[cllehto]

22 hours ago, mcwalker said:

I left home at 4:25 am and arrived at JCP (Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island NY) at about 4:45 am.  There were about 25 people in front of me and by opening time were around 75 behind me.  Got a $10 coupon and snow globe.  After a few minutes in the store, I left to drive to a Lowes 1.5 miles away to see if I could get one of the buckets with free items for the first 25 My Lowes members to enter. 

 

I got to Lowes at about 5:25 am.  A few people were sitting in cars, but none was at the door when I arrived, as it was chilly.  Just a few minutes after I arrived, someone headed to the door and everyone else scrambled.  I was #7 in line and there were less than 25 people at first, but the line got to more than 25 by opening time.  

 

After Lowes I returned to JCP at 6:43 am, got another $10 coupon and another snow globe, then spent a while in the store.   As I left, they were still handing out snow globes but the coupons were gone.

 

I continued to visit various stores until early evening.  Until a few years ago, I would see large crowds in stores and parking lots from early opening time until around 1:00 PM, then crowds would dissipate in the afternoon.  As some others have noted, I saw much smaller numbers of people from opening until late morning, then the crowds picked up and peaked in the mid afternoon.  I returned to Roosevelt Field Mall to go to Macy's in the afternoon and both the parking lots and the store were packed at that time.

In past years the stores cleared out around 1 pm because the doorbusters ended then. You had to hurry to get in line before 1pm. I didn't see anything about ending times this year.

This year the stores were busier in the afternoon because you could sleep in if you bought the bigger deals online or didn't want something you thought would sell out.

[wittenlover]

Lots of Swifties in my area and one of my best friends needed a hand getting the TSwift items, as she is a fan, though not insane level. (Her nearest Target is over an hour away from her and she had to work at 7 am on BF.) That said, I planned accordingly. I set my alarm for 2:30 am. Got up, put on my BF is dead shirt (thanks, Brad!), layered up for the cold and snow and headed out the door. Arrived at my Target around 3:30 am. There were about 5 or 6 other cars that weren't employees and all of us were temporarily content to stay in our nice warm cars, though there were three brave (crazy?) folks already lined up at the door. Right around 3:45, a slew of cars rolled in within minutes of each other. People immediately started piling out of those newly arrived cars (dang rookies). Oof. Two gals in car next to me who had quickly figured out I was a BF veteran were watching to see what I would do. I resigned myself to being stuck standing outside for over two hours and zipped up my coat, giving them a distinct look of "well, not happy, but here we go". They began preparing themselves to get out as well. We joined the line with about a dozen or so in front of us. Found out first one in line had been there since midnight. The two behind her had arrived around 2. Snow kept falling the entire time we stood in line. Felt like BFs of old in some ways. Line quickly grew very long behind us. If I'd waited till 4 to show up, I very likely would have been too late.

About 20 minutes before the doors opened, the store manager came out to have a look at the line and inform us that the vinyls would be limited to 1/person and that they would have folks inside to direct us to the area where the merch was. 6:00 hits. Doors open. They allow the first group in, stopping the line briefly just before they got to me. A minute or so passes and they let the next group in, myself included. I headed to the line for the merch. Turned out the store manager himself was handing out the TSwift items to each person. He had the process down to an art form and the line moved quickly. I got one of each item (Vinyl, Book, CD) and headed straight for the checkout, as that was all I needed in-store at Target. It was now roughly 6:05 am. (Sent my buddy a pic of the stuff and told her "you're welcome". LOL) 

Next stop was Home Depot for the Grinch and Max (dog) inflatables. Crowds were light here. HD was also, as always, passing out munchies and drinks in the form of muffins, fresh fruit, water, juice, and coffee. Score. I grabbed a couple other smaller items and headed for check out. Quick and easy (and now my tummy was happy). Headed over to PetSmart for their 7 am opening to stock up on kitty litter. Grabbed about 300 lbs worth (should last me most, if not all, of this next year), picked up a few other things for the furbabies, and headed for the check out. Again, crowd was light here. Had everything loaded in my car by 7:30. Off to Menards. It was busy, but not really any more than a typical Saturday crowd. Grabbed the power banks, some electronic hand warmers, phone charging cables, cheap fleece throws to donate to local animal groups, batteries, and a few other little things. Wandered a bit, knowing they were my last stop before my first off-load at home. Left Menards around 8:30 and headed for home. Unloaded at home and prepared for my Torrid shift that began at 11:30. Knowing I wanted to hit Bath & Body Works first, I left my house around 9:45. B&BW was busy (as I expected) but I made full use of my multiple coupons and walked out with darn near $200 worth of stuff for $63. Not bad. Clocked in at Torrid on time. Worked till 6. Snow continued off and on throughout the day, making road conditions treacherous on my way home. I hit the nearest Meijer, as I needed some grocery items and then started the slow trek home. What normally takes me roughly 25-30 minutes from that point took me well over an hour. Black ice everywhere. Was relieved when I finally walked in my door safely around 9 pm. Whew. All in all, got what I needed/was hoping to get while I was out. 

[tinkrbel]

3 hours ago, wittenlover said:

Lots of Swifties in my area and one of my best friends needed a hand getting the TSwift items, as she is a fan, though not insane level. (Her nearest Target is over an hour away from her and she had to work at 7 am on BF.) That said, I planned accordingly. I set my alarm for 2:30 am. Got up, put on my BF is dead shirt (thanks, Brad!), layered up for the cold and snow and headed out the door. Arrived at my Target around 3:30 am. There were about 5 or 6 other cars that weren't employees and all of us were temporarily content to stay in our nice warm cars, though there were three brave (crazy?) folks already lined up at the door. Right around 3:45, a slew of cars rolled in within minutes of each other. People immediately started piling out of those newly arrived cars (dang rookies). Oof. Two gals in car next to me who had quickly figured out I was a BF veteran were watching to see what I would do. I resigned myself to being stuck standing outside for over two hours and zipped up my coat, giving them a distinct look of "well, not happy, but here we go". They began preparing themselves to get out as well. We joined the line with about a dozen or so in front of us. Found out first one in line had been there since midnight. The two behind her had arrived around 2. Snow kept falling the entire time we stood in line. Felt like BFs of old in some ways. Line quickly grew very long behind us. If I'd waited till 4 to show up, I very likely would have been too late.

About 20 minutes before the doors opened, the store manager came out to have a look at the line and inform us that the vinyls would be limited to 1/person and that they would have folks inside to direct us to the area where the merch was. 6:00 hits. Doors open. They allow the first group in, stopping the line briefly just before they got to me. A minute or so passes and they let the next group in, myself included. I headed to the line for the merch. Turned out the store manager himself was handing out the TSwift items to each person. He had the process down to an art form and the line moved quickly. I got one of each item (Vinyl, Book, CD) and headed straight for the checkout, as that was all I needed in-store at Target. It was now roughly 6:05 am. (Sent my buddy a pic of the stuff and told her "you're welcome". LOL) 

Next stop was Home Depot for the Grinch and Max (dog) inflatables. Crowds were light here. HD was also, as always, passing out munchies and drinks in the form of muffins, fresh fruit, water, juice, and coffee. Score. I grabbed a couple other smaller items and headed for check out. Quick and easy (and now my tummy was happy). Headed over to PetSmart for their 7 am opening to stock up on kitty litter. Grabbed about 300 lbs worth (should last me most, if not all, of this next year), picked up a few other things for the furbabies, and headed for the check out. Again, crowd was light here. Had everything loaded in my car by 7:30. Off to Menards. It was busy, but not really any more than a typical Saturday crowd. Grabbed the power banks, some electronic hand warmers, phone charging cables, cheap fleece throws to donate to local animal groups, batteries, and a few other little things. Wandered a bit, knowing they were my last stop before my first off-load at home. Left Menards around 8:30 and headed for home. Unloaded at home and prepared for my Torrid shift that began at 11:30. Knowing I wanted to hit Bath & Body Works first, I left my house around 9:45. B&BW was busy (as I expected) but I made full use of my multiple coupons and walked out with darn near $200 worth of stuff for $63. Not bad. Clocked in at Torrid on time. Worked till 6. Snow continued off and on throughout the day, making road conditions treacherous on my way home. I hit the nearest Meijer, as I needed some grocery items and then started the slow trek home. What normally takes me roughly 25-30 minutes from that point took me well over an hour. Black ice everywhere. Was relieved when I finally walked in my door safely around 9 pm. Whew. All in all, got what I needed/was hoping to get while I was out. 

Is the cat litter only an in store thing? I'm gonna TRY to remember this for next year. I feel like I've seen multiple people post over the years that they stock up for the year and that would be so helpful for rescues, etc IF I could get it shipped OR be near a location to buy/drop off.

[wittenlover]

23 hours ago, tinkrbel said:

Is the cat litter only an in store thing? I'm gonna TRY to remember this for next year. I feel like I've seen multiple people post over the years that they stock up for the year and that would be so helpful for rescues, etc IF I could get it shipped OR be near a location to buy/drop off.

 

You can definitely order online for delivery/in-store pick-up, at least with PetSmart.