Shoppers brave Black Friday crowds for good deals

JACKSON, Tenn. — Hundreds of people rushed to local stores Friday morning in search of the best holiday deals.

“This is my granddaughter’s first go of it,” Dee Baker said.

“So what’s your first time like?” WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News reporter Julia Ewoldt asked Zoey Cook.

“It’s crazy,” she said.

Academy Sports and Outdoors opened at 5 a.m. Friday. A family we spoke with started shopping at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

“My daughter and I have been doing this for over 15 years,” Baker said.

“We’ve been to Walmart, been to Kohl’s, been to — where all have we been?” Baker asked. Her family laughed.

Before the lights even came on at Best Buy in Jackson, shoppers were already in line, telling the WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News team they were there for the LG 4K TV. It’s 55 inches, and they say it’s a good deal.

“We’ve been trading about every 20 minutes, so he’ll go to the car and I’ll come out here or I’ll go to the car and he’ll come out here,” Dakota McDaniel said, referring to his routine with his father.

He says they love the atmosphere.

“I always enjoy the crowds and stuff. It’s just fun,” McDaniel said.

Some shoppers say the crowds haven’t been as bad as years past.

“It has not been bad. It has not been bad at all,” Tammy Kiestler and Toni Coleman said. 

They said they were excited to go home after shopping until sunrise.

“We love Goodwill. It’s our last stop, last stop on the way home,” Kiestler and Coleman said.