While Black Friday shopping in Jacksonville has been somewhat uneventful, that hasn’t stopped the craze around West Central Illinois.
Jacksonville Police Lieutenant Sean Walker says when he went to check on local stores this morning, he was surprised to find smaller crowds than in years past.
“I would say it’s slower. I came to work at six o’clock this morning and the stores were relatively empty and they still are. In the past we’ve had officers inside the stores and I think we have that going on this year,” says Walker.
In recent years, Black Friday shopping has started late on Thanksgiving night. Jacksonville resident Derrick Davis did his shopping in Springfield last night and says the crowds at certain stores were overwhelming.
“It was crazy, it was hectic. We actually left Kohl’s, we didn’t even stand in the line, because the line literally wrapped around the store. We shopped for an hour then we realized how long the line was and we we’re like, ‘we can do this online,'” says Davis.
The Jacksonville Police Department says no incidents have been reported in connection to Black Friday. Recently, shoppers have been avoiding the long lines and instead been purchasing discounted items online.