Scores of Shoppers Show up Early for Black Friday Sales

If you open early, they will come.

Following the recent trend of beginning the traditional Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving night, both the Westfield Mall in Milford and the Westfarms Mall in West Hartford opened at 6 p.m. Thursday and shoppers were ready to roll.

There had been lots of debate leading up to Thanksgiving over stores opening early with critics arguing that it was unfair to force employees to work and spend time away from their families. Some retailers joined the debate by remaining closed on Thanksgiving and declaring that shoppers wouldn’t miss a thing by waiting until Friday morning.

• Related: It’s On: Retailers Skirmish Over Thanksgiving Day ‘Black Friday’ Sale

But in the end, the shoppers showed up in full force on Thanksgiving with many saying the deals were too good to pass up. Several shoppers came out after their Thanksgiving dinners and dessert and made a family event out of it.

“I think it’s the bargains that are out there, but I also think it’s the fun of coming out and spending the day with the family,” Kevin Keenan, general manager of the Westfarms Mall in West Hartford told WFSB 3 regarding the Thanksgiving turnout.

For some stores, opening on Thanksgiving made Black Friday more tranquil than the traditional early-morning rush.

WTNH reported that the Best Buy in Meriden re-opened at 8 a.m. on Friday since it was open until 1 a.m. following its Thanksgiving sales and there were only two people in line at 6 a.m. when traditionally there would be a long line.

Read more about the Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping turnouts at WTNH here and WFSB 3 here.

(Pictured: Westfarms Mall in West Hartford, Patch file photo)

Have a news tip? Email Vincent.salzo@patch.com. You can also post your own news, events and announcements on Patch by following these directions. Curious about how our new commenting platform, Disqus, works? Learn more about it here and start interacting with your neighbors on Patch.