Shoppers descend on malls: Glendale Galleria and Burbank Town Center open early on Black Friday

Elizabeth Talento, an L.A. native, arrived at 5 a.m. to score deals at Macy’s and Victoria’s Secret in the Glendale Galleria on Black Friday.

“It’s our annual family tradition,” she said. “It’s not as busy this year as it has been in the past, maybe because people can get similar deals online. Still, I got some great deals on clothes.”

There was a line outside the Apple Store at 8 a.m. as the store was about to open, but that’s not particularly unusual for an Apple store. Damian Renteria, a promotions assistant, was there to see if he could get a good deal on an iPhone 7.

Julio Cesar Grande, a retired military professional, was at the mall to find some deals on clothes.

“I found some shirts at JCPenney and Macy’s,” he said. “I was here at 6 a.m. It was busier in previous years — three years ago, it was intense, with lines everywhere. Maybe people are getting less materialistic and bored of the products. I mean, you can’t get much more extreme than the iPhone7.”

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Jerzy Maginnis, 16, left, looks over purchases with Grace Thiemann, 15, center, and Maddy May, 15, all of Burbank, during Black Friday shopping at the Burbank Town Center on Nov. 25, 2016.

  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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With Black Friday shopping bags resting next to him, Leo Valles, 15 of Arleta takes a break on a bench at the Burbank Town Center on Nov. 25, 2016.

  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Black Friday shoppers carry a variety of bags from multiple stores at the Burbank Town Center on Nov. 25, 2016.

  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Black Friday shopping for Charlotte of Burbank included waiting for Santa Claus to open his photo operation at the Burbank Town Center on Nov. 25, 2016.

  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Queen Bee Pro Artistry’s Alan Medellin applies sample makeup to become a “walking billboard” while he waits for Black Friday shoppers to come to his booth at the Burbank Town Center on Nov. 25, 2016.

  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Ricardo Lopez of Highland Park, left, is loaded down with shopping bags on Black Friday at the Burbank Town Center on Nov. 25, 2016.

  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Black Friday shoppers carry their bags around the Burbank Town Center on Nov. 25, 2016.

  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Jess Harvey, a college student, took advantage of Target’s “buy one, get one 50% off” toy deal in order to buy gifts for a Cops 4 Kids toy drive.

“I feel like it’s perhaps a little busier this year than last year,” she said. “That’s maybe a good sign, that people are more confident with their money.”

Mall officials have said in the past that Black Friday shopping, now that it starts so much earlier than in the past, tends to come in waves, where there will be droves of shoppers at one point and then noticeably fewer shoppers at another.

At the Burbank Town Center, student Leo Valles said that he arrived at 6 a.m. to find hardly anyone at the mall.

“There was no one here, and the parking lots were empty,” he said. “My family and I could walk around and get all of the door-buster deals inside of an hour. There are still lots of good deals, but I just think people are lazy nowadays.”

Patti Molina, who was shopping in Burbank but usually works in the mall’s Charlotte Russe store, said that malls tend to get very busy after 10 a.m. and later in the morning.