Shoppers line up ahead of Black Friday in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Hundreds of people waited outside of Bass Pro Shop off Bass Pro Drive Friday morning (Nov. 24), ahead of Black Friday kicking off the holiday season.
Historically, Black Friday is known as the busiest shopping day of the year, but there has been a decline in those long lines outside of chain stores in Colorado Springs over the last couple of years due to the rise in online shopping.
Nowadays, Black Friday deals are starting way earlier in the month and are created online, which makes it easier for people to skip all the chaos and stay warm inside their homes to shop from their computers.
The days of the massive long lines outside stores and packed parking lots on Black Friday are likely over.
Even though many deals for large retail stores are likely online before Black Friday, some people say it's a holiday tradition to be in person.
Tobby Huver is one of the hundreds who waited outside Bass Pro Shops this morning to jump on the deals.
"I got here around 3:55 a.m. this morning; when we got here, there were about fifteen people in front of us. The doors didn't open until 5 a.m., but I looked behind us, and there were probably about three hundred people behind us, so it was worth getting here early, and I was able to get what I wanted," said Huver.
According to the National Retail Federation, last year, a record 196.7 million Americans shopped in stores and online during the five-day holiday shopping, and the data says that most people are choosing to shop online rather than in-store.
Last year, about fourteen million more Americans decided they would instead shop online than in-store on Back Friday.
Many of these deals continue in person and online throughout the weekend as Cyber Monday approaches.
The deals at large retailers like Bass Pro Shops, Walmart, and Target remain, so this weekend could be the best chance to get the most bang for your buck.
