Local Stores Prepare for Black Friday Shoppers

Black Friday is just two days away, and local stores are gearing up to welcome the large crowds. The Gulfport Premium Outlets is opening Thanksgiving night to allow shoppers extra time to cash in on Black Friday deals.

Every year, Black Friday sales begin earlier and earlier as shoppers are eager to score the best bargains. The Premium Outlets will be open right as your family finishes Thanksgiving dinner, helping shoppers get a head start. Rhonda Roberts, Director of Marketing for Gulfport Premium Outlets, says, "It started as midnight madness and then customers began coming earlier and earlier. It’s kind of a tradition to get out and shop on Thanksgiving evening."

The Gulfport Premium Outlets will be open from 6 p.m. Thursday night until 10 p.m. on Friday, but that didn’t stop shoppers from checking out Wednesday’s sales. Travis Dickey, a holiday shopper, says, "Just trying to get some holiday shopping in, buy for the wife, ‘cause if I don’t, you know I’m going to be in trouble and you know, get the other family members and hopefully save a little bit of money."

Even families from out of town can’t resist the steals. Jimmy Deyoung, a holiday traveler and shopper, says, "It’s a great place to stop and you’ve got all these stores in one location, so it’s fun, like the buffet of stores. You can go around and find what you need in one place."

Of course, the best part about the Gulfport Outlets is the deals. You can find 25 to 65% off at all the stores! Roberts closes, "The thing about the outlet is the coupons that are available, you know, if you go on the website, our premiumoutlets.com, you can download additional coupons to use. People are smart when it comes to shopping and the coupons are something they utilize a lot."

Roberts assures all the stores will be fully stocked as the doors open Thursday night.