Sisters book hotel room for Black Friday sales in Livermore

Modesto sisters book hotel room to shop Black Friday at Livermore outlets

Modesto sisters book hotel room to shop Black Friday at Livermore outlets.

LIVERMORE, Calif. - Black Friday crowds packed into stores across the Bay Area on Friday as retailers braced for what could be a record-setting kickoff to the holiday shopping season, according to retail analysts.

Three of those shoppers were sisters and their mother from Modesto, who decided it would be worth it to spend some money on a hotel and sleep in just a bit longer before scanning for sales at the outlet stores in Livermore, 45 miles away from home. 

They rolled out of bed and showed up at the mall just before 6 a.m., without having to slog through traffic for an hour like they usually do from their home in the Central Valley. 

"This is our tradition. Every single year," Nancee Larsen said while wearing a headband with glittery Christmas balls popping out. "This year we got a hotel and walked across the street. It was excellent." 

The National Retail Federation projects more than 186 million people will shop at some point during the five-day period from Thanksgiving through Monday.

Roughly 70% of them were expected to shop on Black Friday, although experts say that no longer guarantees wall-to-wall crowds as many customers jump on online deals well before Cyber Monday.

"The lines between Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren’t as clear as they used to be," said Gerald Storch, a business consultant and retail expert. "Cyber Monday used to focus heavily on tech purchases, but now everyone is competing every day. The hardest thing for retailers is distinguishing what they’re offering on Black Friday versus Cyber Monday."

Cyber Monday is expected to be the next busiest day of the stretch, though many of the deals advertised on Friday will likely remain available through the weekend.