New York City

Huge Crowds Converge on Retailers Across NYC as Black Friday Begins Early

What to Know

  • Thanksgiving wasn't even over, but huge crowds still lined up outside retailers to get their hands on some early Black Friday deals
  • Seeing hordes of people shuffling through the doors may be anxiety-inducing to some, but many said they were there just to experience it
  • Macy’s joined retailers Best Buy, Target, Kohl’s and more in opening up during the evening on Thanksgiving

Most ovens had barely even cooled off from cooking Thanksgiving dinner, but that didn’t stop huge crowds from lining up outside retailers to get their hands on some early Black Friday deals.

Doors didn’t open at Macy’s Herald Square store until 5 p.m., though don’t tell that to some of the people who waited for hours to be among the first inside — including one man who said he had been waiting seven hours, and said another woman was waiting at 6 a.m.

Images of the hordes of people shuffling through the doors may be anxiety-inducing to some, but many who showed up said they were there to experience the madness — and didn’t even come to buy anything, despite many stores offering doorbuster deals and 50 percent or more off on an assortment of goods.

Macy’s joined retailers Best Buy, Target, Kohl’s and more in opening up during the evening on Thanksgiving, and shoppers at stores both in Manhattan and at Bay Plaza in the Bronx found stores even more crowded than usual.

Surprisingly, an estimated 56 percent of U.S. shoppers have already started their holiday purchases.

Contact Us