SUNRISE, Fla. – Shoppers in South Florida were ready as early as Thursday night to begin grabbing the best deals.
On Thursday night at Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, there were no big lines or crushes of people waiting to get in. That's because, for the first time, the mall opened at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
Aurion Watts, who was shopping at Brandsmart U.S.A., said he felt bad for some of the employees.
"I think it's kind of terrible for the people that work there because you know that have food on the house waiting for them," Watts said.
Simon Gebara, a manager at the mall's Best Buy mobile store, said the turnout was larger than he expected. He also said he didn't mind working.
"We were not expecting it to be this packed, but it's been very packed early on so we're happy. They're happy. It's been one big party to be exact," Gebara said.
Hot items for shoppers included flat-screen TVs, smart phones, and sunglasses.
"I got some Ray-Bans, a bathing suit," said Zach Smith, who said he traveled to South Florida from California just to go to Sawgrass Mills.
The mall will be open through 10 p.m. Friday.