TULSA, Okla. — The day after Thanksgiving can be an exciting time for some, or a day to avoid all stores. At Woodland Hills Mall, doors opened at 6 a.m. and shoppers were ready to take advantage of all the deals.
Director of Marketing and Business Development Eileen Neighbors said from the people the mall was prepared for a busy day.
"Some reports are coming out that this is going to be a very good season, that sales are going to be up. The mall has been trending up as the year has gone on, so we don't expect it to slow down any," said Neighbors. "I've heard it from the retailers who are saying that there is going to be a lot of people out here on Black Friday, and sure enough, they have turned out."
The mall saw a lot of shoppers last year, Neighbors said, but in the early afternoon, she already felt it was a successful day.
"There's just a ton of people carrying packages and shopping and roaming the mall," said Neighbors. "I can tell the retailers are having a great day, everyone is in high spirits, and it's been a wonderful day so far."
Ema Salazar and Milee Thomas came out to the mall with their grandma and were a few of the early arrivals.
"I've been here for six hours," said Thomas. "The lines were really long so... I got a sweater, hoodie, some jeans and stuff."
For Whitney Keane, Black Friday shopping at the mall is an annual trip. She came with her best friend and said while shopping trends have changed since the pandemic, she still prefers being in a physical store.
"I am a hands-on person so I like to be like 'Oh yeah I like this,' rather than looking online I'm like 'I don't know if I'm going to like this,'" said Keane.
Another shopper, Bridgett Bailey, had only been at Woodland Hills for about 45 minutes when she spoke with 2 News. She said while the volume of people could be overwhelming, customer service had been very helpful.
"It's been going great, it's busy here, I will say the lines are long, but it's worth it," said Bailey. "I was kind of shocked because I was like 'Nobody goes Black Friday shopping anymore.'"
Neighbors said the mall hired additional security and cleaning staff to make sure they had enough to accommodate the additional shoppers. Individual stores also brought in additional employees to help throughout the day.
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