California retailers welcome Black Friday shoppers
Thousands of shoppers gathered at the Citadel Outlets in Commerce, California hoping to score deals on Black Friday (November 29). Crystal Gabriel, 31, was one of them. This year marked her first time shopping in person on the day after Thanksgiving. "I usually shop online. That's typically me. But I wanted to like actually pick out things by hand." The long lines in front of many stores like Northface, Coach and Polo Ralph Lauren were reassuring to Cynthia Easey, the Citadel Outlets marketing director. "This is our Super Bowl," Easey said. "This really sets the tone for the holiday season for us. And what happens today will really predicate what happens still till Christmas time and so far, so good." Although some shoppers said they circled the center's parking lots for up to 30 minutes before finding a place to leave their cars, analyst Christian Perez, 34, said he was surprised and relieved not to see more people out shopping. "I'm not, like, fighting anyone to get in, so, you know," Perez said. "I think this year is a little, you know, it's not as busy, but it is still pretty busy." (Production: Sandra Stojanovic, Jackie Luna)