Black Friday is normally a day of large crowds, bargains, and battles to get the best deals before they are gone. But, today some stores were not as busy as expected.
At Ellenton Premium Outlets, it looked like a normal day of shopping. There were open parking spaces, plenty of room to walk around and no lines inside the stores.
"It's not that bad," said Andrew Park. "I got a parking spot really easy and there's really not too many lines at the stores. There's not that many people here at all."
It was an easy day of bargain hunting for Park and his wife Sarah. A not-so-busy shopping day many said they were not expecting.
"I was really surprised," said Hannah Stevens.
Stevens and her friend, Hallie Bell said it was way less busy compared to Black Friday last year.
"The crowds aren't as bad as I was expecting," said Bell. "I was mostly expecting a bunch of people everywhere. But, it's a little more calmer."
"I like it when there's not as many people," said Stevens. "It's easier to shop."
Sarah Ozgun, a manager at the outlets, said don't let the sparse crowds fool you.
She said for the first time, they opened their doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and it was 28 hours of non-stop shopping that attracted people at different times.
"This year shoppers were able to get a few extra hours of shopping in and so really that resulted in a shift in the traffic pattern," said Ozgun. "It's more or less made less people here at one time."
It's a Thanksgiving change nationwide that could decrease Black Friday numbers and take away its crown as the top sales day of the year.
Ozgun said it's too early to say if they'll open early again on Thanksgiving next year. She said they'll be making a decision by January.