Hub City shoppers gather for Black Friday deals

JACKSON, Tenn. — Shoppers lined up outside stores in the Hub City early Friday morning, hoping to get some great deals.

It was off to the races for shoppers in the Hub City on Black Friday.

Stores across Jackson opened their doors early Friday morning to let in thousands of customers looking to celebrate the consumer holiday.

According to Forbes.com, more than 160 million Americans will shop this weekend, with spending set to hit billions of dollars.

Management at both Academy Sports and Outdoors and Best Buy say their Black Friday lines this year were much smaller than previous years, mainly due to online shopping.

Steve Johnson, store director at Academy Sports and Outdoors, said the Jackson store alone had over 100 pre-orders just for Friday’s deals.

For many Americans, online shopping has become a go-to method, but stores still see around 100 people lined up the morning of Black Friday just waiting to get inside.

It’s that in-store experience that keeps people like Haley Stout and her family coming back every year.

“We’ve come the last four years,” Stout said. “Just the experience, the thrill, seeing all the shoppers and the excitement involved.”

As for their Black Friday result, they said they’ve got what they’ve been looking for.

“Fishing stuff, some clothing, and that kind of deal. There were a lot of good deals here today,” Stout said.

The shopping bonanza continues tomorrow with Small Business Saturday, and more will happen on Cyber Monday.