Pushing aside folding chair poles and fuzzy blankets inside the trunk of her small SUV, Patricia Cortez placed her Target bags inside.
Rosa Cossyleon, Cortez’s sister, said they, plus their brother and sister-in-law, got to the Target at Highland Grove Shopping Center at 3 a.m. on Black Friday. They used the folding chairs and blankets to camp outside the store, until it opened at 6 a.m., she said.
Anthony Castel, of Indianapolis, carries gifts for his sister Jesenia Cosme, of Hammond, while on a Black Friday shopping trip at Kohl’s in the Highland Grove Shopping Center in Highland, Indiana on Friday, November 28, 2025. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
Cortez, 38, of Schererville, said the hardest part was the temperature seemed to get colder the closer it got to sunrise. By 6 a.m., there were more than 100 people waiting outside the store, Cossyleon said.
Their goal, Cossyleon said, was to get the store’s Black Friday goody bag promised for the first 100 shoppers. An added bonus, she said, was that 10 of the bags had an extra item, valued at about $100 or more.
“I was so excited. They wanted to sleep in and like, ‘no, we have to be number one’,” said their sister-in-law Ana Martinez, 36, of Schererville.
Unfortunately, Cossyleon, 36, of Schererville, said their bags did not hold the larger prize. Their bags had multiple items, including lip gloss, candy, LMNT electrolyte drink mix, and Uno cards, she said.
Suzanne Reuthel, of Chesterton, carries a tree and presents to her car after a Black Friday shopping trip at Highland Grove Shopping Center in Highland, Indiana on Friday, November 28, 2025. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
But, for about the last 10 years, it has become a tradition for them to go out early for Black Friday shopping, Cossyleon said. They’ve seen a shift in stores opening later in the morning and Black Friday deals starting about a week before Thanksgiving, she said.
“It wasn’t like back in the day, people stampeding each other,” Cossyleon said. “I think it’s better for the workers, but the deals aren’t as good as they used to be.”
Despite the cold temperatures and early access to deals, many shoppers walked in and out of stores at the Highland Grove Shopping Center at 6:30 a.m. Friday to secure Black Friday deals.
Jesenia Cosme, 22, of Hammond, and her brother Anthony Castel, 29, of Indianapolis, walked out of Kohl’s with multiple shopping bags and a large toy for Cosme’s 13-month-old son.
Alfonso Alvarez, of Chicago, opens a passenger door to assist as Best Buy employees Ozzie Perez, left, and Lupe Mandujano load a 65-inch television into the back of his vehicle during a Black Friday shopping trip at Highland Grove Shopping Center in Highland, Indiana on Friday, November 28, 2025. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
They were at Highland Grove Shopping Center by 6 a.m. to shop with their mother, Paula Castel, 55, of East Chicago.
Cosme said she started Black Friday shopping with her mom when Cosme was in eighth grade. Cosme said she’s always enjoyed Black Friday shopping, especially getting a preview of some of her Christmas gifts.
Paula Castel said she’s always enjoyed Black Friday shopping because of the affordability. Castel said she was most excited about the leather jacket she purchased for her son at Kohl’s.
Anthony Castel liked the jacket so much he wore it out of the store.
Donna Gonzalez heads to her car with a cart full of gifts during an early-morning Black Friday shopping trip at Highland Grove Shopping Center in Highland, Indiana on Friday, November 28, 2025. Gonzalez, of Munster, said she arrived at 5:30 a.m. to take advantage of the traditional savings offered by retailers. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
“He made out like a bandit, they always do,” Paula Castel said with a laugh.
After Kohl’s, Paula Castel said the plan was that her son would head back to Indianapolis while she and Cosme went to Pink.
“It’s my turn to pick Christmas gifts,” Cosme said.
While Black Friday deals have started earlier and earlier each year, Paula Castel said it’s worth waking up early to save money.
“When you’re on a budget, you have to know how to stretch it,” Paula Castel said. “Mothers know how.”
Sondra Laco, 50, of Hobart, walked out of Best Buy with a large computer monitor. Laco said she went shopping with her son, a tradition of theirs.
Before Best Buy, they had already been to Target and Kohl’s, Laco said. While she was most excited about buying Christmas pajamas for the whole family, Laco said the deals weren’t what they used to be on Black Friday.
“It seems like there are Black Friday deals all year,” Laco said.
Suzanne Reithel, 59, of Chesterton, carried a plastic Christmas tree bought at Target to her car. For the last 41 years, Reithel said she and her family members have been Black Friday shopping to get ahead on buying Christmas presents.
“It’s a lot slower now,” Reithel said. “It’s changed.”
Sandy Gianoli, 40, and Tricia Meier, 37, both of Crown Point, walked out of Target in Christmas onesies with a shopping cart filled with toys, clothes, games and a popcorn machine.
They woke up at 5:30 a.m. Friday to get a jump start on their Christmas shopping. Gianoli said she got great deals on board games for her son.
In the future, Gianoli said she hopes to pass down the tradition of Black Friday shopping to her children.
“If not, I’ll go by myself,” Gianoli said with a laugh.
“Everyone calls us crazy, but we like it,” Meier said.
After Target, the two friends were headed to the nearby Five Below for stocking stuffers, and then to Menards for dog toys, Gianoli said.
They agreed to “play it by ear” when it came to heading home for the morning, Gianoli said.
“Hopefully, we end at a good time to take a nap,” Gianoli said.
