Major crowds after Black Friday bargains created quite the traffic jam in Pleasant Prairie.
It certainly wasn’t a problem for Pleasant Prairie Premium Outlets’ 90-plus stores, but for the 60,000 customers, saving cash meant spending a lot of their time.
Billy Adams drove up from Chicago to shop. He couldn’t believe the bumper-to-bumper traffic starting at the beginning of the interstate off-ramp.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to stay or not,” Adams said with a laugh.
Just when Adams thought he was in the clear, he realized parking was a whole other issue. By early afternoon, the parking lot was packed full. Drivers spilled over onto side roads.
“We just came in, pulled in and waited for somebody to pull out,” he recalled. “(It) took us like 20-30 minutes.”
“Complicated stuff, but it’s worth it,” said shopper Stefanie Carpentieri.
Pleasant Prairie Premium Outlets normally has markdowns from 25 to 65 percent. On their busiest day of the year, you’ll find up to 80-percent off deals.
“I stood in the Ugg outlet line and it was super long, but I got them,” said Tiara Mills of Chicago.
In the end, Mills said the traffic issues were worth the overall experience and the cash she saved.
“I left a couple stores because the line was too long, because of like super deals, but it was OK,” she said.
A Pleasant Prairie Premium Outlet spokeswoman said last year’s Black Friday was their previous record for shoppers. Store owners informed her today’s crowds put last year’s to shame.
