Shoppers flock to Citadel Outlets for Black Friday deals despite pandemic

CITY OF COMMERCE, Calif. (KABC) -- This year's biggest shopping day looks a lot different at The Citadel Outlets, where several public safety changes were in place as crowds of shoppers still hit stores early Friday morning.

Shoppers are required to wear face masks and maintain physical distancing protocols, with sheriff's deputies enforcing COVID-19 safety measures.

Long lines were seen at some stores, which must limit indoor capacity to 25%.

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Stores opened at 6 a.m. Friday, which cut down on customers lining up overnight.

Some retailers are offering virtual waitlists, and there is expedited shopping outside of stores.

One shopper said she preferred the shopping atmosphere this year.

"It's better, I think it's more controlled. Before it got too crazy. Now you're like, 'OK, we can do the Black Friday shopping,'" she said. "It's good, no traffic, parking - a lot. I like that there's a lot of security."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says shopping in crowded areas around Thanksgiving time is higher risk for the spread of COVID-19.

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