COLUMBIA, S.C. — People across the Midlands flooded stores today on this Black Friday as the holiday shopping season kicks off.
The National Retail Federation estimates more than 166 million people will hit stores across the country over the next five days.
When Scout and Molly's opened their doors, there was a line of shoppers waiting to get inside.
"We opened at 8 o'clock and it's been very busy, it's been fun!," said manager Bailey Lindsay.
Lindsay explained the shop is gearing up for the busiest weekend of the year.
"We’ll do small business Saturday and we’ll do that Saturday and Sunday and then we’ll do Cyber Monday," said Lindsay.
While many flock to big box stores for doorbusters, several shoppers said that, this year, they're keeping their dollars local.
"It's important for me to give back to our community who gives us so much, ya know," said Marcella Marie.
"It’s busier in person this year than it has been these past years for sure," said Lindsay Armstrong. "Everyone’s just as friendly and I think the sales are still great and it's really important for me to support the local boutiques and business here."
That support is something Small Business owners like Treva James said is much appreciated after the pandemic and amid rising inflation.
“We really go all out in making sure we’re giving customer satisfaction and we make sure we have a lot of inventory for customers to choose from," said James.
While Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, law enforcement said it's also one of the busiest days for car thieves and porch pirates.
"44% OF Americans say that they actually have one package a week to their home," said Cayce Police Chief Chris Cowan. "Thirty-six percent of Americans say that they’ve been the victims, at least once, of a package being stolen."
Cowan added officers are on high alert for thieves but said there are steps you can take to prevent theft from happening.
"Neighborhood crime watch, delivery vaults, scheduling the delivery and paying attention to those alerts on your phone as your package is being delivered," said Cowan.
Chief Cowan reminds shoppers to lock their cars and keep packages hidden in their trunks.