COEUR d’ALENE — A long line formed outside the Bath & Body Works store at Silver Lake Mall, but customers said they only had to wait a few minutes before they got their turn to buy gifts for their loved ones at Black Friday prices. 

Bath and Body Works employee Claire Byrd said the store had a steady stream of shoppers eager to try out new fragrances and take advantage of a buy three, get four items free sale since it opened at 8 a.m. 

“We’ve been busy,” Byrd said. “This is actually slow.” 

With Pippi the Parson Russell Terrier occasionally delighting shoppers by poking out of the shopping cart pushed by Coeur d’Alene resident Robert Katnich, the two made their way along the Silver Lake Mall stores on their holiday list. 

"I'm shopping for presents for family members, neighbors and coworkers," Katnich said as he carried on the annual Black Friday tradition. 

With asphalt-pouring jobs slowing down heading into the holiday season, Katnich said he always looks forward to having more free time to shop for loved ones. 

“I pace myself; I’m very organized,” Katnich said. 

At the Shoe Dept. Encore, Post Falls resident Lilly Holecek picked up a new pair of shoes as Brenna Lovato, dressed in a Christmas sweater, rang up her purchase.  

Some of her coworkers wore reindeer antlers or more casual holiday attire, but for Lovato, it all comes down to breaking out the holiday festive sweaters.

"We like to take a week and dress up once it’s Christmas and Black Friday seemed like the perfect time," Lovato said.

At the North Face Black Sheep store, workers Parker Maloney and Brookie Langford noted that they had seen fewer customers than last year by midmorning, but said things had picked up as the morning wore on. 

“It’s slower this year,” Maloney said. “People are doing more online shopping.” 

Langford said that although the morning sales were a slow start, she had been so excited to see people bringing in well-behaved puppies and dogs. 

“There’s somebody with black lab puppies and we think we’re going to buy them,” Langford said. 

The National Retail Federation projected that holiday sales for November and December, both in physical stores and online, would top $1 trillion for the first time this year, according to Reuters.

During the five days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, NRF projections forecast about 186.9 million shoppers, up from 183.4 million last year. 

Spokane resident Janice Boyd said shopping at The Resort Plaza Shops in Coeur d’Alene has been a family holiday tradition for more than a decade. 

“There’s a couple of stores in town that always like to visit for Black Friday deals; Mix it Up, Into the Woods and the kids always like Bear Paw Cookies,” Boyd said. 

She and her family stopped at Honey Social Club for lunch and also went to Figpickels Toy Emporium. 

“It’s been busy,” Boyd said. 

Nicole Rose said her family was visiting North Idaho from Oregon City and spent the afternoon taking in the sights at The Resort Plaza before finding a spot to camp out for the parade and fireworks. 

The Rose family walked out of Mrs. Honeypeeps Sweetshop armed with tasty treats to snack on during the holiday festivities, much to the excitement of Evie Rose. 

“We got candy!” Evie shouted, brandishing a package of gummy eyeballs. 

Her brother, Brody, said they can’t wait to try out the candy. 

“It's delicious,” Brody said after putting on his coat to stave off the cooling temperatures. 

    Shoppers wait their turn to do their Black Friday shopping at Bath & Body Works at Silver Lake Mall.
  

    Elijah Clayton works on his Black Friday shopping while 1-year-old Tate watches shoppers pass by at Silver Lake Mall.
  

    Claire Bryd speaks to customers to pass the time at Bath & Body Works for Black Friday deals.
  

    Brenna Lovato was excited to don her Christmas sweater to work at the Shoe Dept. Encore on Black Friday at Silver Lake Mall. Lovato bags checks to make sure the sizes are correct for Lilly Holecek's new shoes.
  

    Evie Rose was most excited to try the gummy eyeballs she and her siblings got shopping at Mrs. Honeypeeps Sweetshop before the Coeur d'Alene parade and fireworks.