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Thousands of Triangle shoppers hit the stores after their Thanksgiving meals on Thursday, with some stores like Old Navy opening as early as 2 p.m.
"I'm not a sports fan, I don't want to stay home and watch TV," shopper Aubrey Strobel told ABC11. "I just think it's really fun."
Aubrey joined her sister, Brittany, at Triangle Town Center with an itinerary they said includes Kohl's, Target, Macy's and the Tanger Outlets in Mebane. Though they live in Nashville, they've been coming to Raleigh to visit family for Thanksgiving for nearly 20 years. Shopping here is as much a part of the tradition as the turkey; they even wore matching outfits of holiday T-shirts and Christmas tree hats.
"This is definitely family time," Brittany says.
Toys R Us and Babies R Us opened at 5 p.m., and ABC11 crews found dozens of people lined up outside. When the doors opened, some shoppers headed straight for the Legos while others looked for this season's craze of Fingerlings and Hatchimals.
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At 6 p.m., Crabtree Valley Mall opened its doors, along with more than 20 of its stores, including Sears and Forever 21. The mall is open until 2 a.m. Friday and then reopens at 6 a.m.
"We like shoes, maybe some jewelry and shoes," Raleigh shopper Ramzi Yousef says. "This whole thing is fun, you really get in the spirit."
Yousef brought along his wife, children and other family visiting from Jordan, eager to embrace all the traditions of an American Thanksgiving.
"This is home," Yousef said. "I love it. We're going to talk about this for the rest of our lives."