LOCUST GROVE, Ga. — Black Friday shoppers flocked to the malls, big boxes and outlet stores across metro Atlanta, undeterred by persistent inflation, tariffs and a slowing job market.
Retailers at the Tanger Outlet Stores in Locust Grove opened their doors at 6 a.m., and shoppers were at the ready, many of them waiting more than an hour in their cars as temperatures hovered around freezing.
Jennifer and Tony Batchelor drove 95 miles from Hawkinsville to be among the first shoppers at the outlet.
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“It’s just a lot of fun to find deals that other people can’t get because they’re asleep, but were here,” Jennifer told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims.
They would be here regardless of the state of the economy, she said, though they did recently take out a second mortgage.
Had it not been for borrowing money against the equity of their home, Black Friday would have had them seeing red.
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“Absolutely. If it weren’t for taking a second mortgage last month, we wouldn’t be here,” Jennifer said. “We just wouldn’t have the extra money. Our credit cards are piling up.”
Denisa Shedd and her 17-year-old daughter Gracin drove an hour from Monroe to enjoy some quality mother-daughter time and for the oh-what-fun-it-is deed of finding deals.
Shedd said inflation is all the more reason to shop on Black Friday because of all the bargains.
“I think that’s why so many people will be out today to try to catch those sales that might not be here later,” she said.
Besides, she said, Black Friday is a treasured tradition.
“I really enjoy getting out and seeing all the people, catching all the sales, trying to get out here first so we don’t have to stand in line as long,” Shedd said.
Forty miles up I-75, at Atlantic Station, Quan White and his girlfriend made a stop at Old Navy, even though he does nearly all of his shopping online. Inflation and the economy, he said, don’t have him buying with caution.
“Not at all,” White told Channel 2 Action News. “I mean, you’re going to get it at the end of the day. You’re still going to handle what you need to handle.”
Even though online shopping is easy and in vogue, Tony Batchelor appreciates the experience of browsing among real people in real stores on this day steeped in tradition.
“I love hitting every store,” Tony said. “I love the hustle and bustle of all the crowds and everything. Normally I’m not the kind of person to be around crowds, but today, yep.”
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