Gilroy Premium Outlets was a shopping mecca for dedicated holiday shoppers last week, as thousands made their annual pilgrimage to the retail destination in Gilroy.
The shoppers who arrived as early as 6pm on Thanksgiving day, or who stayed until 2am Friday, when stores reopened at 6am, were able to beat the heavy rains in the afternoon that continued all weekend. Many shoppers stood in line as stores reached their customer capacities, and many more drove around trying to find parking in the packed lots.
Gilroy Premium Outlets Director of Marketing and Business Development Sarah Lira said the weekend was a success.
“This was one of the property’s greatest Black Fridays yet with shoppers excited about their in-person shopping experience and lining up as early as 4:30pm on Thursday, November 28, to score on our top deals,” she said.
Jane Howard, executive director of the California Welcome Center Gilroy, which is located in the outlets, said the center had more walk-in visitors this year compared to 2018.
“Black Friday was especially busy,” she said. “We appreciate our visitors choosing Gilroy as their destination for shopping, dining and wine tasting.”
Tour buses from the Bay Area brought many shoppers on Nov. 29, when traffic jams—for both pedestrians and vehicles—were the norm.
