Black Friday Shoppers Cram North Jersey Malls

Throngs of shoppers descended on North Jersey’s malls before dawn Black Friday, coming from as far away as Canada in a rush for bargains at the start of the holiday shopping season.

It only took 15 minutes for the crowds outside of the Bergen Town Center in Paramus and neighboring to flood the buildings. Some shoppers began lining up overnight in a quest for sales.

Dina, from Toronto, Canada, traveled to New Jersey to visit family and take in the American Black Friday experience.

"I've heard so much about it on the news and I just want to enjoy the experience," she said.

Black Friday veteran Lori Tallarico, of Nutley, began lining up Thursday night.

"It's the thrill of the experience," Tallarico said. "We're just lucky it's not as cold out."

"It's a holiday in itself," said Adam, another local veteran shopper.

While Black Friday is sometimes marked by competition for the best deals, some shoppers said they ended up making new friends in line. Hackensack resident Yveanete Bracero came to Target for a TV but said she left making new friends from New York City.

"The Target in Hackensack was a jungle and completely wiped out earlier this week," Bracero said. "But this is the best part, meeting new people in line."

The Bergen Town Center will be open until 11 p.m. Friday night, but the bulk of stores with sales have a 12 p.m. cut-off for their bigger discounts.

In Paramus, shoppers packed the corridors of the Garden State Plaza, and while many of them lined up for the door-busting sales, not everyone was enthused about the deals.

Joseph Brady, of Ridgefield Park, was unimpressed by the offerings. Brady said the deals weren't as much of a draw this year.

"I can't find any sales," he said. "I'm almost disappointed. I'm tempted to start waiting for Christmas."

Judging by the massive lines in front of stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, Lord & Taylor and Apple, many of which formed well before stores opened at 7 a.m., shoppers apparently still had plenty to look forward to. The opened at 5 a.m., allowing visitors to queue up before stores opened.

Jesu Mills, a Teaneck resident, beat everyone to Best Buy—by a whole day.

Mills lined up at 11 p.m. Wednesday, looking to buy a laptop and a TV. No one else showed up until Thursday.

"The laptop costs $179 and the 24-inch costs $80, so I couldn't beat that price," Mills said.

At in Wayne, security guards said the mall opened at 3 a.m., and was bustling with activity hours later. One family used a stroller to bring five bags of merchandise out to their car.

“There’s not really one thing I think people want this year, but the sales are the best and places are rewarding shoppers for spending a lot of money,” Christina Hendericks, a Wayne resident, said as she walked back to her car at about 6:30 a.m.

Despite national fears of a slower holiday shopping season, Garden State Plaza Marketing Director Greg Udchitz said traffic had been strong at county’s largest shopping center.

"It's encouraging to see what the rest of the day will bring,” he said.

There were no immediate reports of Black Friday chaos, but police in Hasbrouck Heights at a Route 17 cell phone store.

Check back for updates throughout the day and from Patch reporters in the field.