FOX 9's Lauren Andrego caught up with Black Friday shoppers waiting outside Mall of America.

Bloomington

Large crowds gathered at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, to take advantage of Black Friday sales. Many shoppers camped out overnight in cold weather, with some traveling from as far as Illinois and making the event a yearly tradition.

Interviewed attendees cited buying gifts for family and themselves as their main motivation, and some specifically targeted stores like PacSun and Garage. Despite the harsh conditions, most agreed that the experience and deals made the effort worthwhile.

Black Friday shoppers flock to Mall of America

Right? As you know, today is Black Friday and the shoppers. Yeah, they were out this morning to get their hands on the many holiday deals are Lauren and Drago spent part of her morning at the Mall of America. And yeah, it was busy. She talked to some of the people who were camped out all night and many braving the cold for a good deal. In fact, one of the guys said, you know what? I really didn't think this through. Give it a listen. It's pretty good. Tell me what you guys are here shopping for today. Uh, gifts for my family. Yeah, gifts for myself and my family. Okay, what about you two? Any specific stores you're running to when you get inside packs on in garage? Is this your first time? Black Friday shopping at M. O. A. No, it's our third time. Actually, we've been here pretty consistently. Yeah. What brings you back? What do you like about the experience? Well, for me, I'm notoriously bad at Christmas shopping, so I need to, like, set a time for myself to just have a bunch of stores to go to and, like, knock out as many presents as I can. I like honestly waiting out in the cold for the ticket stuff. I have a lot of fun doing that, and I've been doing that for, like, five years now. I'm kind of here for the chaos. You look a little bit lighter dress, so I'm just assuming that you are a strong Minnesotan. I didn't think it through all the way. I didn't realize I'd be standing in a line for folks who won't be able to experience this morning. Describe the cold. Describe the elements right now. It's just all the way to the bone. It is so cold. I've been here since yesterday Thanksgiving night at nine o'clock. I brought a tent with me, and so I camped out of it, and I'm from DeKalb, Illinois. That's two hours away from Chicago. Have you done Black Friday at MOA before? I tried it last year, and I wasn't prepared. Twice. Mom loves your news. Really? She wakes up with Fox nine. Give your mom a shout out. Mom, this is my sister. Happy Black Friday, Mom. I love you so much, and I hope you're watching. I don't know what I'm expecting, really. I've heard a couple people say a couple different things, but I don't know. Whatever it is, it was worth it to be here.

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