Shoppers brave cold, snow for Black Friday in the Valley

by: Kyle Wills, Gerry Ricciutti - WKBN

Posted: Nov 28, 2025 / 05:35 AM EST

(WKBN) – The cold did not stop shoppers from lining up outside the doors of the Eastwood Mall.

Black Friday shopping got underway with the Party in Line with Mix 98.9 at 5 a.m.

Alan Dear, II, arrived at 8:45 a.m. Thursday to wait in line.

“I think this tradition has fallen to the wayside, and the way Eastwood Mall has kept it going… I needed to make up some lost time,” he said. “So I was here for 21 hours, so yeah, I might have been crazy; all my friends are saying I’m crazy, but this is something that is always fun to do, especially on a Black Friday like today. Especially with the snow.”

Dear said he has stayed warm with a lot of blankets and hot chocolate. “I’ve been doing this for quite a while, but I think this is the longest that I’ve ever been doing something like this,” he said.

Dear said he is looking for tool kits, games for his son and other gifts for family members. There was plenty to do to make time pass, like making snow angels and having dance competitions. But once inside, shoppers were eager for what awaited them. The first 500 shoppers in line when the mall doors open at 6 a.m. received a swag bag packed with goodies from stores all around the mall. Plus, the first 300 bags included a chocolate bar that corresponds with a gift card up to $500 in value. “I had won the $500 one,” said shopper Shayla Priddy.

“We had some other big gift cards in some of our stores. We had free food from Panera, Bibibop. We had free appetizers from Texas Roadhouse — just a whole slew of items that people could spend while they’re here,” said Marketing Director Brianna Ventimiglia. For many, the holiday is more about tradition than prizes.

“There were some folks who didn’t get the bags because it was over 500, and everyone still had a smile on their face, and they kept that positive attitude coming in for the shopping season,” said Johnny Chechitelli, regional director of marketing and communications. “Everybody felt like family. They were laughing and joking and had a Christmas spirit,” said shopper Angela Shook.

At the Grove City Premium Outlets, there were still lines of shoppers waiting to get into stores by mid-morning — some more than willing to bear the frigid conditions and snow on the ground to get in on whatever deals they can find.

“Half of it is just for the fun of it, just to go out and go in the physical store and see things and touch things, feel the fabric, kind of that stuff. But mostly, just Christmas shopping,” said Shannon Manzo of New Castle.

A lot of those WKBN spoke with felt the same way. “It’s just a fun day to get out with the family. We do this every year on Black Friday. It’s kind of tradition that we all go out,” said Emma Myers of Pittsburgh.

A number of the 121 stores at the outlets are individually operated, and owners say offering something that’s different from large chains makes them attractive. “We carry products that are really cool because it’s something that, for the person you really don’t know what to get them for the holidays, something they’re going to love,” said Anthony Lingus with Beef Jerky Experience.

Some of the businesses there are just pop-ups, operating for the season and hoping to take advantage of the crowds.

“People are looking for something different. People aren’t into knick-knacks anymore, so consumables are the number 1 Christmas gift,” said Deanne Caruso, owner of Searchlight.