Parking lots were filled and traffic was also busy at other locations, like the Logan Town Centre, Plank Road Commons and Target, where one of the most sought-out items wasn’t a toy, it was Taylor Swift’s new album and book, according to Gabi Hoover and Zain Confer, a couple from Lock Haven, Clinton County.

Swift released physical copies of her album, “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,” and a book commemorating her record-setting “Eras Tour” on Friday exclusively in Target stores.

Hoover said the lines were so long at Target, she and Confer decided to drive to the Logan Valley Mall to shop for deals at F.Y.E., Macy’s, Hot Topic and Victoria’s Secret — where she found several deals on blankets.

Confer said he has gone Black Friday shopping for several years, and in his opinion, this year’s turnout wasn’t nearly as crowded as previous years were.

Karen Dunn of Curwensville shops for Black Friday deals on Fitbit watches at the Walmart Supercenter along Plank Road. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

“I used to come out when it was rough to get into places and you couldn’t move in the store,” he said.

Erin Morris of Bedford said she and her friend, Savanna Smith, also thought there were fewer shoppers at the mall this year compared to last year, which she said made for a more enjoyable experience because they were able to get through shopping lines “a lot quicker.”

“It’s nice, but I think there’s less people because the sales are not as good as they used to be,” Morris said.

Smith said they found a lot of sales at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty and Kohl’s, where “there was a nice deal on sweatpants,” she said.

For many shoppers, like Tara Hanlin of Westernport, Maryland, spending the day with loved ones was just as important as finding the right deals to finish their holiday shopping lists.

Hanlin said she enjoyed spending the day in Altoona with her son, Colby, because there’s a “bigger variety” of stores to shop at in the area.

They make a nearly 90-mile trip to shop at the Logan Valley Mall every year, she said.

“We like Altoona because it’s easy to get to everything,” Hanlin said. “I’ve been coming here for years.”

In the mall’s food court area Friday morning, Portage resident Sandy Pisarski said she and her niece, Chloe Douglas, were excited to hit up the sales at the Old Navy clothing store.

Alicia Risinger of Homer City, Indiana County, said Black Friday shopping with her mother and daughter at the mall is “just a tradition” they’ve been doing for several years. This year, they scored some deals on clothing, she said.

“It’s just a day that we dedicate to shopping and spending time as a family to kick off the holiday season,” Risinger said, adding they started out at Kohl’s, drove to the mall and then finished their shopping at Target before getting something to eat.

City resident Fiana Hinson said she enjoyed shopping with her daughters, Avari and Cyndle Hinson, at Boscov’s, Kohl’s and JCPenney. In addition to clothes, Hinson found deals on an air fryer and various pieces of jewelry, she said.

Spending time with her family is the reason Tara Hendershot of North Carolina decided to go Black Friday shopping this year. Hendershot was in the area to visit with her sister, Ashley Gearhart of Philipsburg, Centre County, for Thanksgiving.

Hendershot said she and her husband have “picky” sons, so they weren’t able to finish their holiday shopping during the Black Friday sales event. But Gearhart and her daughters were able to find several deals at the mall, Hendershot said.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.