COLORADO SPRINGS — It seems to be a new trend in some areas across the country - shorter lines and smaller crowds for Black Friday shopping, especially during those early morning hours.
That was the case in some parts of Colorado Springs. Things may have picked up later in the day, but in the early morning hours barely any shoppers were at the First & Main Town Center.
It's no secret that online shopping is getting bigger every year. Still, a few people showed up to the shops to continue the long-standing tradition of getting up super early to score the best deals.
Black Friday shopper Alisha Barrett said, "I think it's pretty easy to fall into doing the online....this is kind of the old-fashioned I guess now."
James Cruise was "just doing some holiday shopping for family, friends and looking around."
While more and more people seem to be doing their holiday shopping from their comfort of their home Cruise isn't one of them.
He said, "Online shopping is definitely more convenient, but in-store shopping definitely has better deals and it's an experience...it just kind of brings out the holiday kind of spirit where you get to see what everybody's getting for their kids and in general it's a really nice experience."
Barrett said, "We come from the western slope and we spend Thanksgiving with family, and we come and hit the Black Friday deals."
She scored big at places like Ulta where she got makeup, something she prefers to buy in-store.
She said, "I have to be able to sample it."
17-year-old Sadie Rafferty has enjoyed Black Friday shopping with her sisters for several years.
She said, "Just found a couple shirts that were just on sale for...50 percent off and so it's like great for Christmas shopping, getting those Christmas ideas done...we always have fun, go get some coffee or breakfast and just enjoy a little bit of shopping trying to get it done."
Jeanne Lambrecht - hoping to find winter gear for her family at Dick's Sporting Goods.
"Ski goggles for my kids and hopefully some sleds."
For her - coming out to shop on Black Friday is an annual tradition.
She said, "I still like to come out and I like to use the coupons, and get some good deals and I like to see and touch things...I think there's a lot of things that I end up finding that I didn't know I was looking for."
According to EarlyBlackFriday.com, in 2018 53 percent of Black Friday shopping came from online sources while this year the expectation is that it will increase to 55 percent.
