Shoppers started lining up as early as 10:30 p.m. Thursday at the Glendale Galleria to take advantage of the door-buster deals that many stores were offering, Glendale Galleria spokeswoman Janet LaFevre said.
More than 600 people lined up outside Target for its 5 a.m. opening, the line extending from Galleria Way to Central Avenue.
“That’s probably the longest line I’ve seen,” LaFevre said.
Soon after, Target employees began pulling merchandise from their back stock to keep up with demand.
More stores, including Marc Ecko, the Gap store, Anchor Blue and Verizon, opted to also open at midnight this year, hoping to bank off the long retail day, LaFevre said.
And despite the protracted recession, foot traffic at the mall appeared to be stronger than in past Black Fridays, she said.
Shoppers were also heading to stores with strong retail brands, such as Lego and Disney, because they knew the merchandise will last longer, LaFevre said.
“People are looking for quality versus quantity this year,” she said.
As a first-time Black Friday shopper, Victor Lodevico was quickly learning that navigating through stores on the busiest shopping day of the year was not for the faint of heart.
With a sea of shopping carts, purchasing a $5 toaster at Target was no easy task, he said.
“It’s not a spectators sport,” Lodevico said.
