Black Friday a beloved holiday tradition
Tanger Outlets hummed with energy Friday, as shoppers from near and far scored deals and enjoyed the company of loved ones on the biggest shopping holiday of the year.
Nothing says Black Friday like lots and lots of shopping bags. Maureen Hasson took advantage of Tanger Outlets deals Friday to purchase items for West Mifflin School District's Clara Barton Elementary School purse bash.
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Hundreds and hundreds of shoppers spent Friday at Tanger Outlets, which opened at 6 a.m. for Black Friday.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Amber Vazquez, Janiya Thomas, Emmanuel Vazquez, Allen Vazquez and Antonio Vazquez, of Pittsburgh, wait in line outside Under Armour Friday morning to shop deals at Tanger Outlets. The family said browsing clothes and saving money were top reasons for heading out on Black Friday.
Cortney Bales, of Uniontown, waits in line outside Under Armour Friday morning, where she looked forward to big savings thanks to Black Friday deals. Bales said her favorite part of Black Friday shopping was people watching.
Brooke Black, left; Avery Black, center; and Katie Stoney, of Byesville, Ohio, talk while waiting to enter Kate Spade at Tanger Outlets. The trio rose early, stopped for energy drinks and made the nearly 90-minute trek to South Strabane for Black Friday savings.
Jenna and Ryan Salina make every Black Friday a date day. The Caldwell, Ohio, couple shopped at Tanger Outlets in South Strabane before heading south to the Highlands and rounding out the day at a St. Clairsville shopping center.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Reagan Thomas’s best shopping buddy is her grandmother Sally Richards, left. The pair mapped out all the stores they wanted to hit before heading to Tanger Outlets for Black Friday shopping.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
From left, Katlyn Salaske, Kassidy Fine, Shelly Fine and Kendal Morgan ask a stranger to take their photo in front of Tanger Outlets’ magnificent Christmas tree. The foursome, of Eighty Four and Monongahela, are mother, daughter and daughters-in-law, and said they enjoyed deal-hunting together this Black Friday.
Ann Zitney and her daughter Allie Keaton, right, of Morgantown, W.V., spend every Black Friday together, shopping and chatting. The two said it's tradition.
A group of Latrobe ladies made the trek to South Strabane for Black Friday shopping. From left: Joann Dunn, Kendyl Virgili, Nikki Virgili, Jax Patrick, Chrystal Dunn, and Nikki Bozzick.
Tanger Outlets was dressed for the holidays, and Black Friday shoppers stopped for selfies in front of many of the festive decorations.
Kyra Ann Frick, of Clarksburg, W.Va., waits for friends outside of Coffee Expresso at Tanger Outlets Friday, where the group shopped til they dropped all the Black Friday deals.
Before stores opened at 6 a.m., a line had formed outside the Under Armour outlet at Tanger. The line continued throughout the day there, and at several other big brand stores at the outlets.
Chris Perkins, who owns Rustic Creations, was pleasantly surprised by the number of shoppers out and about on Black Friday. This was Perkins's first Black Friday at Tanger Outlets, and he said the day went well.
Stephanie Dickson and her son Wesley Dickson, 1, wait for their shopping buddies outside one of the stores at Tanger Outlets. Dickson, of Bethel Park, said her holiday shopping is already done and for her, Black Friday is a festive tradition.
The parking lot at Tanger Outlets was filled Friday morning, when shoppers flocked to the center to score Black Friday deals and spend time with loved ones during the holiday season.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
The Trinity Point parking lot was packed Friday, as shoppers headed out to take advantage of Black Friday deals.
Forget scenes of crowds trampling holiday shoppers and folks fighting over the last discounted item on a shelf; this year’s Black Friday was a festive, laid-back affair.
“The crowd started a little bit later than normal, but it’s definitely picked up big time and a lot of our big brands have lines,” said Megan White, general manager and marketing director at Tanger Outlets Pittsburgh, which opened at 6 a.m. Friday.
Among those first to arrive at Tanger for Black Friday shopping were Ann Zitney and her daughter Allie Keaton, both of Morgantown, W.Va., who made a beeline to Kate Spade and managed to beat the throngs of like-minded shoppers.
“We were pretty excited about that,” said Zitney. “By the time we got out of there, it was wrapped around the side.”
“It was a win,” added Keaton.
The mother-daughter duo said they’ve participated in Black Friday for years; the pair used to head out after Thanskgiving dinner to spend time together while scoring deals.
“I like the fact that they’ve changed from Thanksgiving Day hours to now early on Black Friday,” Zitney said. “It makes Thanksgiving more special. You get time with the family, and you still get the great deals.”
For her, though, time with Keaton is better than any Black Friday discount.
“It’s been our yearly tradition,” said Zitney. “It’s our special mother-daughter time.”
Tradition took Stephanie Dickson and her son, Wesley, of Bethel Park, to the outlets Friday, where they window-shopped with Dickson’s sister and good friend.
“I don’t really need to be here,” Dickson laughed. “We already shopped online. I think, at this point, it’s a tradition.”
Black Friday is also tradition for Ryan and Jenna Salin, of Caldwell, Ohio, too, who spent the morning at Tanger Outlets.
“We make it a date every year. My parents watch the kids and we come shopping,” said Ryan Salina, adding the couple planned to dine at Texas Roadhouse, drive down to the Highlands in West Virginia and stop at a shopping center in St. Clairsville before heading home. “(On Black Friday) it’s nice clothes at a better price.”
Reagan Thomas, of Canonsburg, was all about the better prices Friday, when she and her grandmother Sally Richards, of Mercer, scored some serious deals and nearly completed their holiday shopping at Tanger.
“My Vera Bradley set, I only got for like $20. I’d been eyeing it up a few months earlier but it was more expensive, so I just waited until the Black Friday deal,” said Thomas.
Thomas and Richards spend most Black Fridays walking off Thanksgiving dinner at outlets or malls. For them, it’s more than just a shopping spree.
“I just like spending more time with her,” Thomas smiled.
Richards said the only downside to the day were the lines; Old Navy took the shopping buddies nearly an hour to get in and out of, and lines snaked around the sides of buildings that house Nike and Under Armour, too.
“Just coming up here for the Under Armour outlet is worth the trip to us,” said Brooke Black, of Bayesville, Ohio, who drove an hour and 20 minutes to South Strabane with her daughter Avery Black and Avery’s friend Katie Stoney for holiday shopping. “Both of my kids wear it and everything is 50% off.”
Under Armour drew Cortney Bales, of Uniontown, to the outlets Friday morning as well, where she and her husband purchased Christmas gifts at lower prices.
“We come here every year, pretty much. Last year the lines were long like this as well,” she said waiting, bags in hand, to enter the athletic store. “I expected the sales to be worse because of how inflation is. I’m actually surprised that they’re actually having decent discounts still. Even Under Armour has 50% off this year versus the 40% off last year. I thought that was kind of nice.”
Steep discounts were a bonus for Allen Vazquez, of Pittsburgh, who shopped Friday with his family.
“Normally the stuff that we get regularly, year-round, it’s a little bit cheaper now,” said Vazquez. The best part, he said, “is me saving money.”
Chris Perkins, who owns Rustic Creations at Tanger, was surprised by the number of people out and about, either enjoying the day with loved ones or enjoying the discounts offered at outlet stores.
“I know it’s tough for some people right now. Gas, it’s holding steady but food is still going up, everything else is still going up,” said Perkins. “It’s nice to see everybody out. People are in a good mood.”
The good mood emanated through Uniontown Mall Friday, where Fayette County shoppers chatted animatedly, browsed stores and purchased gifts ahead of the Christmas season.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” said Lou Ann Hunchuck, general manager. “Last year was kind of slow, but I was hopeful that this year would be better. So far, it definitely is.”
Hunchuck said Bath and Body Works opened at 6 a.m., with the rest of the mall welcoming shoppers at 8 a.m. The Uniontown Mall was but for a few slowdowns busy, and shoppers, Hunchuck said, were in good spirits.
“I even had a couple that were skipping down the hall. I though, they’re happy campers,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of smiles. The overall mood seems good today and … I was very pleased with the amount of shoppers. I’m just happy for everybody that comes to the mall. We’re trying to create a positive atmosphere here.”
For malls and Black Friday goers, the shopping holiday was a positively festive start to the Christmas season.