Bayshore Town Center speaks about Sears Thursday night open
GLENDALE -- Big crowds, long lines and short fuses. That's what we saw Thursday night at Bayshore Town Center during the 8:00 p.m. Sears open.
"From what we saw both in our patrols on cameras and throughout the day and evening we felt it was a very civil crowd," said David Moss, the general manager at the mall.
But on our website, some customers expressed their concerns, describing the scene as "chaos." One man said, "I'm surprised no one got hurt, 100+ people rushing from each entrance."
"Instances like this we would wait for Sears to let us know that they are in need of additional help," said Moss.
Moss said Sears hired its own private security firm to handle Thursday night. We called Sears for an interview, but the company declined to speak with us. Friday was a much different scene.
"I see them a lot during this time of the year because it's the holidays and everyone is at the mall," said Astasha Findley, who described the security presence on Black Friday. Security was present both on foot and by car patrolling the streets of the mall.
"It's good to know that you can shop safe and not worry about anybody robbing you snatching your bag," said Jermaine Jones.
Bayshore Town Center said its security guards were indeed patrolling during Thursday's tense atmosphere outside of Sears. However, when our cameras were there, we did not see them. Nonetheless, the mall wanted to reassure everyone that during the holidays, its security teams will be there to help anybody heading into the new year.