Holiday shoppers begin sales season with Black Friday around the corner

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - With the holiday season quickly approaching after Black Friday, some people are shopping for deals now.

At the Mall of America in Bloomington shoppers are looking to save cash with Christmas less than six weeks away.

Shopping spree

"Way more sales than I would have expected. I didn’t think sales would be here yet," shopper Maddie Golish told FOX 9.
Golish went all-out shopping on Friday.

"We got some coats and vests in this bag. We got some shoes, down there we have loads of bags," said Golish. 

Sticker shock

However, some shoppers say prices seem high despite the deals.

"Everything seems a little higher these days. But I feel like overall comparatively, they’re no higher in the mall," said shopper Catina Sandans.

University of St. Thomas Assistant Professor Seth Ketron says people will spend on average $700 this holiday season.

"Which is a decent amount. Considering that, especially as much as people are saying, cash is running short. And food might be more expensive," said Ketron. 

Ketron says the hottest items are tech such as flat-screen TVs and tablets. Also, virtual reality and the new Taylor Swift vinyl record.

"It used to be that you wouldn’t buy anything until Black Friday. And that would be the big day everybody would go and buy stuff.

Nowadays there are so many sales all the time. You can get even better deals before Black Friday or after black Friday," said Ketron.

Ketron says that despite online shopping expanding, people still go in-person to buy gifts.

"You still see a lot of people going out and shopping in stores. Stores are really investing a lot in the experience of shopping in person," said Ketron. 

Some shoppers do seem to be ready and eager to spend no matter what.

But there are some people who haven’t started their holiday shopping yet, so post-Black Friday deals could come in handy for last minute-shoppers.