PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. — After filling up their stomachs and spending time with family on Thanksgiving, many throughout Wisconsin set out to start their holiday shopping on Black Friday.
The Premium Outlets in Pleasant Prairie opened at 6 a.m.
A few hours later, nearly every parking spot was filled and there were long lines coming out of several stores.
Jessica Banks and her mother, Marge Dietrich, were coming out of the Nike store. They braved the cold weather to start their holiday shopping.
“That doesn’t stop us,” said Banks. “We’ve probably been out in colder weather. We just gotta dress warm, have coffee and have hot chocolate.”
Banks said this has become a tradition for them.
“We’ve been doing this since I was little, so we always head out early in the morning and kind of just go out throughout the day. It’s crowded, but some of the sales are worth it,” she said.
For Dietrich, it’s a way to bond with her daughters.
“It’s fun,” said Dietrich. “It really is a good time. We enjoy it. It’s a time for me and my daughters to get together and really have a good time. I like to shop, first of all. It’s not a hassle.”
The same goes for Cassidy Schuff and her mother, Stephanie Kohlhagen. They said they prefer to do their Black Friday shopping in person over online.
“It’s also really nice when you can try things on because everybody knows online shopping, you buy it and you try it on, and it’s a pain in the butt to return it so it’s just nice to be able to get out with family,” said Schuff.
“I wanna feel it,” said Kohlhagen. “I don’t wanna do online shopping. I want to touch things.”
The hustle and bustle of Black Friday shopping is an environment that Roldon Cierra said he likes to be in.
He said while online shopping has grown, there will always be a good amount of people wanting to do their shopping in person.
“I think after COVID the whole e-commerce boom was crazy and some good old retail therapy isn’t too bad. Coming out seeing things is kinda therapeutic,” said Cierra.
Banks and her mother said they had already been to Nike, Aerie and Coach, but the shopping was not over.
“I still have some things to get, but I have already started before this,” said Banks.
For these shoppers, few things beat the rush of shopping on Black Friday. However, the most important thing for them is ultimately giving these gifts to the ones they love most.