The Black Friday madness began at some stores on Thursday evening, but shoppers who were out and about early Friday said they stayed home Thursday for various reasons.

“It was an eating day for us,” said Willis Foster, a Ross shopper.

Nina Caldwell, a shopper at Bed, Bath and Beyond, sympathized with the employees working that day.

“I don’t do it on Thursday — I think that’s awful,” Caldwell said. “Let them spend time with their families.”

The Harbour View outlets along College Drive attracted a fair amount of traffic on Friday.

Some patrons like Courtney Wolfe, decided to stay in to shop online on Thursday and came by the Dick’s Sporting Goods store on Friday morning to get items she couldn’t get online.

Many of the stores’ hours were extended to accommodate the Black Friday shoppers. Many stores opened up at 6 or 7 a.m. on Friday.

Foster said he and his wife started early on Friday to get ahead.

“We try to get out before everyone woke up,” he said.

LaRonda Sweat, a Walmart shopper, was shocked she was able to find a reasonably priced vacuum on Friday.

“I didn’t think I was going to find anything, because the sale started yesterday,” she said.

Additionally, a handful of stores provided special discounts during specific hours.

From 6 a.m. to noon, everything was 20 percent off in Bed, Bath and Beyond. Additionally, from 7 a.m. to noon, Michaels Rewards members received 30 percent off the store items, according to shopper Ginger Sznakowski.

Stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ross and Michaels had discounts on specific items ranging from 20 to 60 percent.

The stores had a mix of seasoned and occasional Black Friday buyers.

Caldwell, who goes Black Friday shopping every year, said she likes “going together as a family.” She typically goes with her husband, daughter and daughter-in-law.

Karen Niblo, an occasional Black Friday shopper, said her daughter also wanted to join in on the madness for the first time this year.

Many of the shoppers were not one-stop shoppers and instead wanted to take advantage of the savings at multiple stores.

“We are kind of making our rounds,” Niblo said, who had shopped at many of the stores in the Harbour View East Shopping Center.

“I like that there are so many shops so close to my house here in North Suffolk,” Wolfe said.

A handful of out-of-town shoppers also joined in on the savings.

“I love Black Friday,” said David Gerber, a Bed, Bath and Beyond shopper from New York.

“I tend to mail all my Christmas gifts,” said Sznakowski, who is from North Carolina. “I do something small like gift cards, because my family is out of town.”