JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The early morning shoppers filled storefronts at the St. Johns Town Center starting at 6 a.m.
Mother-daughter duo, Brooke and Joy from Brunswick, make standing in line on Black Friday a holiday tradition.
“We’re excited; I brought my wallet here. I’m really excited to buy some stuff,” they said.
Some shoppers, like Dallas Brooks from Valdosta, Georgia, are so excited, she spent the night camped out in front of her favorite store.
“We went in there and we’re like, ‘Dang, nothing else opens till like 6 o’clock or 8 o’clock,' and we’re like, ‘Well, Should we get a hotel?' I was not going to spend my money on that. I’d rather save my money, go shopping, and spend it on clothes and good stuff,” Brooks explained.
As we see more shoppers choose to get their Black Friday shopping done online versus in person, AARP says they see an increase every year in people falling for online scams.
In AARP’s latest 2024 holiday scam survey, 35% of participants said they’ve fallen victim to a scam just by hitting a fake online ad.
With the holidays being the hotspot for online and in-person scams, Karen Murrillo with AARP has some tips to keep you and your personal information safe, especially if there is a problem with your package.
“While we know that virtual business is here to stay and something that's popular, it doesn't require a brick-and-mortar store. If there is no information, that's going to make it a lot harder to track down these folks later if there is a problem with your order," Murrillo told First Coast News. "So the harder they make it to contact them, that's a good glimpse into how hard it might be if there's a problem with your order down the road."
Despite the shift with Black Friday shoppers opting for online deals, when we asked which gives shoppers more of an adrenaline rush, “in person for sure, but I think it’s in person or a little bit of both,” Brooke said.
Adding, there are some perks to navigating the Black Friday traffic to shop in person.
“Here you get to try the stuff on because online I feel like you can’t—you don’t try it on, so if you don’t like it, then I got to wait another few weeks to get it back when I want it now," Brooks added.
All shoppers agreeing the early wake-up call was worth it when they walked out with bags in hand.