Shoppers at Ellenton Premium Outlets join in Thanksgiving Day sale frenzy

Virginia Carter stood outside Coach on Thanksgiving evening at Ellenton Premium Outlets in a line that almost reached the curb.

“I just love this whole ... the thrill of just coming out for Black Friday,” the Valrico resident said excitedly. “I’m actually working off some of the turkey that I ate today so I said, ‘Let me come out and get some exercise.’ ”

Carter’s granddaughter, London Arthur, stood quietly beside her engrossed in text messaging.

Carter said since she knew the Outlets opened at 6 p.m. Thursday, she made sure they were on the road by 5 p.m. Prior to Coach, they stopped in Michael Kors. Their next stop was at Kate Spade.

“Just looking,” Carter said. “I noticed that it’s like 50 percent off the purchases so that seems like a good deal. London, she’s going to go to Justice and Claire’s.”

Carter was one of many who chose to snag good deals on Thanksgiving Day, a precursor to the frenzy of Black Friday. Ellenton Premium Outlets will be open through 10 p.m. Friday, according to Sarah Ozgun, director of marketing and business development at the center. The Mall at University Town Center also opened Thursday. The Mall at UTC will reopen at 7 a.m. Friday and close at 10 p.m. DeSoto Square mall, which was closed Thursday, will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Black Friday.

“We are actually open for 28 hours straight,” Ozgun said of Ellenton Premium Outlets. “We continue all the way to Friday at 10 p.m. and we are open during all those long hours due to customer demand. We began our midnight event 10 years ago and the results were phenomenal, so corporately the decision was made to open earlier and we found out customers just kept coming earlier.”

Ozgun said opening at 6 p.m. allows for more flexibility and more time for customers to shop.

“Whether they decide to come to shop on Thanksgiving, or on Friday, they’re going to have a much more enjoyable experience,” she said, adding that a great time to come shop is early Friday to avoid heavy traffic. “What I recommend for consumers that do plan on shopping is have a plan. The main reason why you want to have a plan is to really make your overall shopping experience smooth, so you get more discounts in a less amount of time.”

The majority of stores at the Outlets had large posters announcing their sales.

In Kenneth Cole, everything was 60 to 70 percent off. In Movado, several men peered down at watches in a display counter — the discount there was up to 75 percent off.

A red sign at the door of Christopher & Banks Outlet said it was closed for Thanksgiving. “We believe that Thanksgiving is a special time to share memories with family and friends, which is why we have decided to remain closed on Thanksgiving,” the sign read, inviting customers to shop with the store online and add it to their must-shop list for Black Friday and the weekend.

At Michael Kors, Alexis Newsome bought a purse and a wallet for less than $200. The 24-year-old said she usually goes to Walmart or Target, but wanted to try somewhere different this year.

“I wanted to see what it was all about,” the Bradenton resident said. “And I ended up saving a lot of money.”

Betty Hotton and Jane Maguire were there to browse. The women are visiting from Canada and will be in the area for a month.

“We wanted something,” Hotton said.

“We wanted deals!” Maguire interjected with a laugh.

“We wanted deals and we wanted something to do,” Hotton said, adding that Canada doesn’t have Black Friday. “I came looking for shoes, high heels.”

Their next stop, Hotton pointed in front of her, was Nine West.

Nearby on a bench sat Richard Smith of Bradenton. The 60-year-old said he was relaxing and people-watching as his lady friend shopped nearby at Vanity Fair.

“I usually buy my shoes — buy one pair, get one half off — at SAS Shoes (San Antonio Shoes). I always do that,” he said. “I went to the casino, had Thanksgiving dinner, gambled for a little bit and on the way back stopped to buy my shoes. It’s a ritual.”

This story was originally published November 24, 2016 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Shoppers at Ellenton Premium Outlets join in Thanksgiving Day sale frenzy."