After midnight rush, crowds at Galleria, Americana hold steady

It appears much of the midnight Black Friday rush has dissipated in Glendale, making way for the morning crush of shoppers who decided to get a few hours of sleep after Thanksgiving to start their day.

Shoppers who braved midnight store openings at the Glendale Galleria said the crowds had thinned somewhat since the early morning hours, a sign that the first wave had receded.

For many, it was a race against the clock at the stroke of midnight before the second wave of traditional morning shoppers arrived.

Mike Ratkovic, 36, said that before staking a spot in line at the Apple Store in the Galleria, he had already hit up Best Buy and Fry’s Electronics in Burbank, where at midnight, the line had grown to encompass the entire building.

“And that’s a big building,” he said.

But as the midnight diehards started to wane, a new wave of shoppers were steadily streaming into the mega-mall this morning.

Jenny Scerrano, 20, said she got in some sleep before heading out to the stores this morning to take advantage of the Black Friday deals. At Macy’s, it was $20-pair of boots.

Vehicle traffic around the Galleria, and adjacent Americana at Brand, was expected to be heavy and slow today, prompting police officials this week to call for patience.

Glendale police fielded calls from shoppers last year who complained of waits of up to two hours to exit the parking garages.

Traffic control measures are in place today at the garage entrances as motorists start to stream in.

-- Jason Wells and Mark Kellam, Times Community News

Twitter: @JasonBretWells

Photo: The Glendale Galleria. Credit: Times Community News