‘Make it an adventure’: Shoppers make most of Black Friday experience

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Black Friday is here, and even though shoppers went out looking for some good deals, an even more important reason brought them together.

Overall, Black Friday shoppers knew just how to make the most of their experiences, even if it wasn’t exactly what they expected.

At Best Buy, store doors opened just a few minutes before 5 a.m.

Ryan Roman was first in line with his family. “I got here at 3 a.m.,” he explained. The one computer item he wanted wasn’t in stock but he took it in stride. “That’s ok,’ he said. “I’m gonna look around.”

Across the street, shoppers weren’t just looking, they were busy snatching items up. “We found some crocs that we didn’t think we would find in stock,” said Sarah Borgmeyer, who was shopping at Academy Sports and Outdoors with her best friend Melissa Holmquist.

“And I got some camo,” Holmquist added. “Everything I got was buy one, get one 50% off so that was a great find for my family.”

“I’ve got some camouflage boots for my husband,” pointed out Penny Williams. “And some regular boots for my grandson.”

“We found some matching t-shirts for us to wear,” said twins Sandra Deluca and Susan Yunkes.

Shoppers also pointed out it wasn’t as crowded as they expected. “It’s definitely different than what I thought it’d be,” said Julia Tallman, who was here shopping with her mom Olivia Johnson. “I thought it’d be a lot of crazy moms, like grabbing everything.”

This was the first time the mother and daughter duo got to shop on Black Friday together, even decked out in custom “Black Friday Squad” tees.

“We’re just here to have fun together,” Johnson said.

Shoppers also tell Action News Jax that more important to them than finding deals was finding the time to spend with their loved ones.

“Make it an adventure, that’s what we’re doing with our kids,” Borgmeyer suggested.

“So they can remember this when they’re older. Even if you don’t buy anything,” she emphasized.

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