Throughout the day, and well into the evening, the crowds of people in Union Square were pretty consistent this Black Friday -- and shoppers noticed too.
"We come to San Francisco about two or three times a year to visit,” said Mindy Fernandez, visiting from Miami. “This is probably one of the best times that we've seen since we've been here, just as far as the city, the liveliness, the cleanliness."
Some business owners say they're also noticing a re-newed buzz around union square.
"The energy is back in San Francisco, people are wanting to go out,” said John Konstin Jr., of John’s Grill. “People are excited to be out again in San Francisco and downtown especially."
He said reservations through the holiday weekend filled up quickly.
Plenty of people are also packing into retailers enticed by the traditional deep discounts we're used to seeing on Black Friday.
A lot of people also said they were expecting to do a good amount of their holiday shopping online.
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"There's just more deals and more to see," said Russell Brennan of Danville.
And they say that instead of having sales starting Friday, they've seen retailers kicking off sales a few days before Thanksgiving.
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According to the National Retail Federation, holiday shopping is expected to increase slightly this year by as much as 3.5%, but it will be a combination of in-person and online purchases.
