Some call it the official start of the holiday shopping season. Local retailers say they are ready for huge crowds throughout the weekend. "We expect probably about 120,000 people here, over the course of the weekend so it's very busy but we've got a lot of things in place to help you deal with the hetic nature of the shopping center" says Marketing Manager of Prime Outlets in Birch Run Phil Whitsel. Many bargain shoppers camped out Thursday night and began lining up outside many retail stores in the area to take advantage of deep discounts that the stores have to offer. "This is a prime place to go shopping. And with the discounts here it was pretty awesome, I got a hat….it was great" says Robert Huer. Many shoppers also wanted to be the first ones in line to grab at the most popular items of the season.
And a little farther north at the Fashion Square Mall in Saginaw the crowds weren't any smaller. Thousands of serious shoppers turned up at the mall as doors opened at 5 a-m... "Most kids want to party but not my kid; {she} wanted to go shopping on Black Friday so we've been here since 3 this morning" says shopper Jackie Edmonds.
Many shoppers we spoke with on Friday say they didn't mind the bitter cold or the long lines to get in on the best holiday shopping deals of the season. If you didn't make it to the stores on Friday, many stores will have special holiday hours and discounts through the holiday season.
