Going out shopping for Black Friday? Study ranks 2 Florida malls in top 5 in U.S.
Ready to head out and battle for Black Friday deals?
Shoppers do still hit retail stores and malls in person for the big post-Thanksgiving shopping day, if not in the numbers of its full-contact melee-shopping, overnight lines heyday. Online shopping is just easier for many people. Not as many stores are staying open on Thanksgiving for Black Friday jumpstarts as have been in years past. One of the country's largest mall operators, Simon Properties, is closing most of its locations on Thursday for the fourth consecutive year.
But for those hardy shoppers who enjoy the hunt, prefer holding things and trying on clothes, enjoy the inspiration of browsing and window shopping, or just enjoy the big frantic social gathering that is Black Friday, Journo Research ran the numbers in a study commissioned by vape reseller Yocan Vaporizer to see which major shopping malls in the U.S. are the best for shopping Friday based on daily visitors, parking availability and cost, the stores available, the number of eateries, November traffic congestion, and their Black Friday opening hours.
Two of the top five malls on their list are in Florida.
The Mall of America in Minnesota was the No. 1 mall, unsurprisingly, with 483 stores (117 of which are women's apparel retailers), nearly 14,000 free parking spaces, and 14 hours of shopping on Black Friday (open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.). The Mall of America is the largest mall in the U.S. (or, for that matter, the Western hemisphere) and the eleventh-largest shopping mall in the world.
In second was Pennsylvania’s King of Prussia mall, which performed best overall for traffic congestion, has 13,000 free parking spaces, and is planning to open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. for Black Friday shoppers.
The Millcreek Mall, also in Pennsylvania, scored third due to its size — 2,200,000 square feet, the fourteenth largest shopping mall in the United States. The Millcreek Mall was also determined to be the best mall in America to seek safe shelter in a zombie apocalypse, so you've got that, too.
Sawgrass Mills mall in Sunrise ranked 4th best shopping mall for Black Friday
The Sawgrass Mills mall in Sunrise, Florida, came in fourth. Another Simon Properties location, Sawgrass Mills is the second-largest in Florida and eleventh largest mall and the largest single-story outlet mall in the U.S. Some of the premium outlets include Christian Louboutin, Gucci, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and more.
The study ranked Sawgrass Mills highly for its size, and its Black Friday hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. According to Parkopedia, there are 12,000 free parking spots waiting for you.
Aventura Mall in South Florida is the 5th best shopping mall for Black Friday
The largest mall in Florida, the Aventura Mall in Aventura between Miami and Fort Lauderdale is, appropriately for the Sunshine State, half mall and half destination attraction.
It's known for its wealth of luxury boutiques and luxe name brands — Hermès, Balenciaga, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Fendi, Givenchy, Tiffany & Co., Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, even a Tesla showroom — and its 24-screen AMC theater, world-class restaurants and eateries, spacious play areas, a 93-foot slide tower, a weekend farmers market, and an arts program that adds over 20 art pieces throughout the mall to your shopping experience.
"The Aventura Mall should be the go-to for those shopping for their partner as it has the most stores tailored to women (beauty, fashion, jewelry) and men (sports, watches, tech)," Emily Garner, spokesperson for Journo Research, said in a release.
Aventura also ranked 2nd on Journo Research's list for Christmas shopping for its shopping hours since shoppers can visit for 11 and a half hours on most days and 9 hours on Sundays throughout the holiday season.
Aventura will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Black Friday.
Ten best shopping malls for Black Friday shoppers
Mall of America, Minnesota: 8.4 out of 10
King of Prussia Mall, Pennsylvania, 7.7 out of 10
Millcreek Mall, Pennsylvania, 6.1 out of 10
Sawgrass Mills, Florida, 5.8 out of 10
Aventura Mall, Florida, 5.2 out of 10
Roosevelt Field, New York, 5.2 out of 10
Green Acres Mall, New York, 5.0 out of 10
Westfield Garden State Plaza, New Jersey, 4.8 out of 10
Del Amo Fashion Center, California, 4.8 out of 10
Woodfield Mall, Illinois, 4.7 out of 10
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Black Friday shopping: Study ranks 2 Florida malls among best in U.S.
