Get out those wallets because today is one of the biggest spending days of the year!
Black Friday shopping is in full swing across Washington, with everyone in search of the best deals.
KIRO 7 spent the morning at the Seattle Premium Outlets in Tulalip.
Janet and her family spent about 20 minutes in the Michael Kors line, already with Nike bags in tow.
“So we start at 2:30 [a.m.], start here at Tulalip, then work our way to Muckleshoot and end it off with bingo,” Janet said.
Everyone says the underlying goal is finding deals.
Shopper Donna Bragg spent a couple of hundred dollars at the Nike store, saying she bought a few pairs of shoes for her sons. She tells us she saved around $200 with today’s sales, so the early morning was worth it.
Everyone here is looking to get a steal while crossing off that holiday shopping checklist.
Jessie and her daughter were the very first people in the North Face line. By the time the doors opened at 5 a.m., there were around 200 people behind her. She said this is her first stop every year since she has a lot of people to buy for.
“They just have the best deals, usually I have my kids, myself, everybody for a quarter of the price I normally pay,” Jessie said.
Economist Kashif Ahmed said increased tariffs and record inflation should be stopping people from spending, but that isn’t happening.
“That’s what we do as Americans, we buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have,” Ahmed said.
The National Retail Federation projects holiday spending will be up more than 4% compared to last year.
“As human beings, we love a deal. If it’s staring us in the face, it’s 40% off, and even thinking, ‘Well, I don’t have room for a TV in my house, but I can’t pass up a deal,’” Ahmed said.
In fact, some shoppers say they originally planned on spending even more today.
“Well, we had a little mishap at the casino before we came,” Dominic Francis said.
But others are just here for the nostalgia.
“For us, it’s more family camaraderie and then of course getting good deals too,” Janet said.
Economists say to watch your item carefully, because if you don’t love today’s sale price, it could get even cheaper soon.