Black Friday Deals

Sunrise's Sawgrass Mills is planning to offer 24 hours of non-stop shopping to kick off the Black Friday shopping season.

The mall said Tuesday it will open its doors from 10 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, through 10 p.m. Nov. 25, to give shoppers a head start on exclusive deals and bargains.

"This is a major first for Sawgrass Mills and it is a great way to kick off the holiday season," said Joellyn Fellmeth, director of marketing and business development in a statement. She said stores will be open two more hours compared to last Thanksgiving to give retailers and shoppers more opportunity.

Last year Sawgrass opened from midnight Thanksgiving through 9:30 p.m. the following day.

It was the first South Florida mall to kick off the tradition of a midnight Thanksgiving opening.

The mall's previous Thanksgiving midnight openings have drawn throngs of South Floridians looking to get first dibs on sales and promotions – some offered for a limited time only.

Last year an estimated 30,000 Black Friday diehards waited in lines for the midnight opening.

For a nominal fee, shoppers laden with holiday purchases will be able to take advantage of a new shopping bag storage and shipping service launched this year. They can either store their packages at the mall while shopping or have them sent to their home, hotel or airport.

Shoppers not wanting to hassle with finding their own parking space can also take advantage of valet services during the holiday season, mall officials said.

Fifteen minutes after the midnight Thanksgiving opening last year, the mall's 12,000 parking spaces were completely full.

Located at 12801 W. Sunrise Blvd., the shopping, dining and entertainment complex has more than 350 name-brand outlet and off-price retailers, two food courts and six full-service restaurants among other amenities.