At Cameron Village, a more subdued Black Friday

At the Raleigh shopping center, there were no doorbusters or camping out. Stores opened at their usual time of 10 a.m. And while there were special Black Friday sales, no one was scrambling to get them.

“The kind of promotions that occur in Cameron Village stores are going to be all day and will even continue through the weekend,” said Sandy Friedman, who owns a craft and light store at Cameron Village called Accipitor.

“Black Friday is really about the big box stores and the malls in the morning,” he said. “After people finish getting the great deals, then they come here.”

The serene shopping experience came as a surprise to some.

“I definitely expected it to be more crowded,” shopper Lydia Moore said. “We actually found a parking spot right in front of one of the stores.”

“I've seen this shopping center busier on a typical Saturday,” shopper Stephanie Beauregard said.

Friedman says for his store and others, Black Friday is really more about hype than a substantial increase in sales. He says his best days are actually ahead of him.