‘It’s tradition’: Black Friday shoppers swarm stores along the Grand Strand
For many Black Friday shoppers in Myrtle Beach, it’s a time of tradition, family, friendship and nabbing the best deals as they shop for the upcoming holidays.
For Virginia resident Cindy McMillian, Black Friday has always been a day where she and her best friend travel to Myrtle Beach to spend Thanksgiving weekend shopping. While there are plenty of places to shop in Virginia, she said that they love the outlets and beach atmosphere.
While her friend couldn’t make the trip this year, McMillian was determined to uphold the holiday tradition, this time with her husband.
“It’s tradition. We’ve been coming (to Myrtle Beach) for 21 years,” McMillian said. “I love the deals and seeing what I can get at cheap price. It’s an adventure.”
Along the Grand Strand, shoppers went out in droves Thanksgiving night to start their holiday shopping, while others lined up as early as 6 a.m. Friday morning awaiting the doors to open to their favorite shops at the Coastal Grand Mall and Tanger Outlets.
“People were lined up outside some of the department stores,” said Katrena White, General Manager of Coastal Grand Mall. “Everybody seems to be shopping and it’s been a steady flow of people. We’re happy about that.”
White added the foot traffic appeared to be better than previous years as of Friday morning. She noted some stores had already surpassed their projected Black Friday sales.
Mother-daughter duo Jamie and Bailey Carroll, of Loris, have been Black Friday shopping together for the last 10 years. The pair spent Thanksgiving night at Tanger Outlets and their morning with their hands full of bags at the mall.
“(I enjoy) the excitement of it really and the excitement to come out. The sales are great too, but it’s more the tradition,” Jamie Carroll said. “It just kicks off Christmas and gets Christmas started.”
Over at Tanger Outlets on U.S. 17, there wasn’t an available parking spot in sight as cars piled into the shopping complex Friday afternoon. Some shoppers were forced to park across the street at Arcadian Shores Commons due to the parking lot overflowing.
“I spent over an hour looking for a parking spot,” Sumter resident Karen Kisamore said.
Though once inside, shoppers zipped in and out of stores, with some lined up outside shops like Tory Burch, Vans, Kate Spade and Michael Kors.
Kisamore said she has spent the last few years shopping for her holiday items online, but made the two-hour trip to get her son a jacket from The North Face. While she left the outlet mall with everything she needed, the bustling atmosphere might just influence her to revert back to online shopping.
“The lines are really crazy,” she said. “It’s a lot easier online.”
