BELLTOWN — For more than a decade, Kimbra Stewart was a self-proclaimed “Black Friday Diva.”

That was a title Stewart had one year. The next year it changed and then again and again over the course of five or six years.

There were plenty of others: “Who Needs Sleep It’s Black Friday,” “Steer Clear, Black Friday Shopper,” “Black Friday Boss” and “Professional Black Friday Shopper,” to name a few.

Each year, Stewart had a moniker with a matching t-shirt worn by those in her entourage — typically sister, daughter-in-law, best friend then eventually nieces and granddaughter when they grew older.

“We had people stop us and say they loved our shirts,” Stewart said.

Black Friday — the Friday after Thanksgiving — was a tradition for the Stewart family, who lives in Belltown. Perhaps, more like a religious experience, especially to Stewart who found herself with family and friends on Black Friday for 12 to 15 years.

“We would leave by 4 a.m. complete with our coupons and our lists,” Stewart recalled. “We would often not return home till 10 to 11 p.m. One year, we bought so much that by lunchtime my husband had to come pick up a load, so we could continue shopping.”

Times have changed; however, retailers have started posting Black Friday sales online and made them available before Friday. For the first time this year, Stewart won’t be heading out the door before the sun rises.

“Doing some online,” Stewart said. “But truthfully it’s not the same. The stores start Black Friday deals early and the anticipation of going through the flyers on Wednesday, making our lists, deciding which store to go to first and getting our matching shirts printed. Excitement is just not there.”

So, she’ll pass on the shopping excursions, foregoing trips to State College then Altoona or heading to the outlets in Hershey and the malls in Harrisburg. One year, the Stewarts found themselves bound for Lancaster.

Still another year, her group stayed overnight at a hotel and shopped all weekend.

Black Friday has a late start in 2024 — falling today. The major shopping holiday always takes place the day after Thanksgiving, which is the fourth Friday in November. This means the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year.

However, Black Friday as a shopping event has been extended far beyond the one specific Friday. For shoppers, like Stewart, it can be easy to find bargains at their favorite retailers as they host sales and offer the best deals longer.

With the advent of online shopping and extended in-store sales have had a similar effect on other shoppers around the Juniata Valley. Some, like Jessie Reed, of Mifflintown, weren’t even crazy about Black Friday to begin with.

“I go shopping, but I am not a crazy Black Friday shopper,” Reed lamented. “I don’t even like it!”

Riley Shertzer, of Mifflintown, hasn’t been shopping on Black Friday in five years, and doesn’t plan to change that anytime soon.

“I just buy stuff online,” Shertzer explained. “I’m actually done Christmas shopping, for the most part.”

For the most, except …

“I’m done shopping, but nothing’s wrapped yet,” Shertzer added. “I’ll feel better when that’s done.”

Josh McCarl, of McVeytown, also used to go out on Black Friday in the afternoon until he realized he could “avoid it like the plague,” he laughed. “I used to go out in the afternoon.”

McCarl added, “But I am not a big shopper … More of a go into the store, get my stuff and get home.”

McCarl eventually found the same deals were available online. “Yeah, it was mostly to avoid the rush,” he said.