Black Friday shopper flock to Galleria for holiday shopping and shows

The escalators at the Galleria Dallas looked like an ant hill from a distance…packed with shoppers on the hunt for Black Friday deals.

“I like the pajamas,” Kajol Prasad said shopping at The Royal Standard. “We’ve done it since we were little, so we always come out here and watch the tree lighting and just go hang out.”

“We get to wear pajamas to work, which is absolutely amazing,” The Royal Standard Store Manager Aravia Phillips said grinning. “It’s a big day. It’s a huge day for us!”

Retail experts expect shoppers to spend about 15 percent more than last year between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

“Anything to deal with Dallas. Anything with the Cowboys,” Pamala Adams said, wearing a Cowboys jersey and blue dye in her hair. Adams came in from Nashville to watch her team win on Thanksgiving. She braved Black Friday crowds searching for a souvenir to bring home. “It makes me feel good to see everybody out having a good time, getting along; makes the world seem peaceful.”

“I love seeing how happy people are,” Phillips said. “I love seeing Santa. I love seeing the joy. I love seeing people buy gifts for others and assisting in helping them find their gifts.”

But Black Friday has changed over the years.

“I think it’s like the older I get, and then dragging kids with us, I’m like do I really want to bring them to a crazy mall and try and keep up with them,” Lauren Chadbourne of McKinney said as she shopped for ornaments in Yule Love It with her two young daughters and husband.

“I’ve been in retail for 25 years, so I’ve seen the ups and the downs,” Phillips said. “It’s not such a big rush, but we have sales throughout the week so that the weekly sales make such a big difference than a big blowout one-day sale.”

Retail experts expect spending to increase up to 3 1/2 percent over the entire holiday shopping season.

“We look forward to it every single year,” Prasad said. “The chaos is the fun part!”