Black Friday shoppers in Livermore line up early especially for this one store
LIVERMORE, Calif. - Black Friday is underway across the country, and in the Bay Area, the outlet mall in Livermore was especially busy.
Hundreds of shoppers were in line Friday long before the stores opened at the San Francisco Premium Outlet Mall.
At its peak, 500 people were outside the North Face store, waiting for it to usher in customers at 6 a.m.
Most people weren't looking for anything in particular, but they were drawn to the fact that everything was marked 70 percent off.
Other stores, like Nike, Lululemon, Coach and Tory Burch also had ridiculously long lines.
A comprehensive list of Black Friday store hours in the Bay Area
For many Americans, the sport of nabbing deals on Black Friday on the day after Thanksgiving, is as much of a tradition as the turkey, mashed potatoes, and pies.
Claire Chastain and Anthony Grover of Lafayette were out at 4 a.m.
"It is crazy," Grover said. "It is. There's no way around it. But we do it once a year. It's not an everyday thing. It's for the culture."
Lori Menjivar of Oakley said she got New Balance sneakers last year for $15.
And she encouraged post-Thanksgiving sleepyheads to try the Black Friday experience.
"If you haven't done it. You should try it," she said. "Just for one time."
Despite online shopping trends, analysts say Black Friday is still the biggest day of the year for retail foot traffic in the United States, and it is often seen as an indicator of what retailers can expect for the rest of the holiday shopping season.
Bank of America says consumers will increase their spending about 7 percent this year, with a third of those purchases made, not just online but through social media apps, specifically.