WEST DES MOINES, IOWA — Shoppers stuffed stores just one day after stuffing their plates with Thanksgiving food.

Black Friday kicked off at the Jordan Creek Town Center early on Friday morning with shoppers wanting to get the best deals for their holiday shopping lists.

“2022 as we look at the entire year we are exceeding pre-pandemic numbers so a lot of times we compare it to 2018, 2019 and we are starting to exceed those numbers,” said Randy Tennison, the Senior General Manager of the Jordan Creek Town Center.

There are no more doorbuster deals, or rewards for being one of the first 100 in the store. Instead, stores had deals available all day long, allowing shoppers to come when convenient.

Some shoppers love the feel of the crowds during Black Friday, as online shopping saw a massive spike during the COVID 19 pandemic.

“I am so glad because I hate online shopping, I can’t stand it,” said Katrina Ellensohn. “I want to try on the clothes and I want to try on the shoes. It’s jut a fun thing to do, usually we are just stuck inside especially with the weather being nice.”

“The whole in person experience is better rather than shopping online at your house,” said Kieran Chase.

Other shoppers felt differently after walking through the crowds for hours.

“I don’t like the crowds. I would rather come when it is a normal day and I am losing half the people I am with. We have a whole other group and they are just gone,” said Kayos Buehler.

Tennison said that the weekend before Christmas has surpassed Black Friday as the busiest foot traffic day for the mall. Jordan Creek had extra staff and security on Friday to ensure customers were safe and comfortable.