Taylor Swift fans wrapped around the block at Target for Black Friday

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Millions of shoppers across the country visited stores in person and online for discounted holiday gifts on Black Friday.   

Nowhere was that more apparent than at Target in Wilmington. Lines were wrapped around the block Friday morning before the store opened at 6 a.m. 

More than 100 Taylor Swift fans came out before the sun to buy a book about Swift’s Eras Tour and the second half of her two-part album The Tortured Poets Department on vinyl.  

Both items are only available at Target. Some shoppers waited outside of the store for hours.  

“I woke up at four o’clock, me and my mom and we live in Oak Island so it was about a 45 minute drive,” one shopper said. 

“Got here a little after two in the morning,” another shopper added. 

“We got here at I think 4 a.m., like right on the dot,” another shopper said. 

Black Friday shoppers are projected to spend $10 billion dollars online this year, and another $10 billion in-person according to Capital One. That’s up nearly 10% from last year. 

Many Black Friday sales have moved online in recent years, but the Swifties feel the American tradition of waiting outside of a storefront won’t be going anywhere, anytime soon.  

“I think it’s still the same,” one shopper said.  

“Well it depends on where the specials are, where the store is. Target’s a great place to be on Black Friday,” another shopper noted. 

“I say get out and go shopping and maybe they will start bringing it back. Because I think they’re right, they don’t do stuff like that anymore. I mean they’re not opening till 6 a.m. but we got here early enough to feel like we’re doing real Black Friday shopping,” a shopper added. 

According to Statista, Target is the most popular store for Black Friday shopping in the US, just behind Walmart, with 67% of shoppers visiting the store in-person rather than online.