GREENSBORO, N.C. — Black Friday is here, bringing people out into the 50-degree weather to hopefully knock some items off their Christmas list.
Some folks say they waited in line Thanksgiving night to be one of the first to get into a store. Labib Ismail and Elias Cabrera waited outside Best Buy for hours to take advantage of some of the deals they had.
“Today, I waited in line for probably five, four hours. I waited in line for the Xbox", Cabrera said.
Others woke up early Friday morning to hit the shops.
Businesses like Salt of the Earth Boutique in Archdale were open early Friday, welcoming in the dozens of customers lined up outside their store. Boutique owner Natalie Johnson said it was a big change from last year.
“We’ve done better than we did last year. So, I think a lot of people want to shop small. It is important", Johnson said. "We give back to our community. A lot of small businesses give back to their community and we love our customers. They have shown out this year."
It helps to have a coffee shop next door for people to grab a cup of joe while shopping for that special someone.
“That has helped and a lot. People have said they would rather shop small than support the bigger places", Jamie Dunn, Salt of the Earth manager said.
Salt of the Earth Boutique is open throughout the weekend, offering 15% off the entire store tomorrow for small business Saturday.
The National Retail Federation said that more than 165 million people are expected to shop through Cyber Monday. That’s up nearly 40% from last year.
