After a strong start on Thanksgiving evening, traffic died down overnight and remained lighter than past years this morning according to JLL-managed centers Holiday Pulse report.  Much like last year, retailers that opened yesterday traded Black Friday morning sales for Thursday evening sales but the impact was greater as more retailers opened on Thanksgiving Day this year.  All centers expect traffic to pick up later today after the diehard shoppers rest up and refuel before they hit the stores again. Check out the top 5 center recaps of Black Friday morning:

1. Killeen Mall: “Traffic is slow this morning, except for the shoe stores with the Jordan shoe release. Zales reportedly doubled their sales this year over last with their 35% off the entire store promotion. We’re also seeing Pandora using iPads as additional check out stations to keep traffic moving.” –  Mardi Peaster, Marketing/Specialty Leasing Manager

2. Sunset Mall:  “Most retailers are reporting that their Thanksgiving Traffic was good and that they made their daily goals early. They are optimistic that traffic will pick up after lunch today as it has in the past three years.” – Sabrina Tatsch, Specialty Leasing & Marketing Manager

3.  Valdosta Mall: “Traffic this morning was stronger than anticipated although still very weak.  Retailers remain optimistic that traffic will pick up over the course of the day. We are also seeing online ordering with in-store pickup as a growing trend, with both Belk and Sears having had hundreds of online orders to fill with customers visiting the stores to pick up their purchases.” –  Jennifer Denham, Marketing Assistant

4.  Alexandria Mall: “We had a line of approx. 150 beginning at 5 a.m. for door opening, and we handed out 100 stockings to waiting shoppers at 6 a.m.  but at this time sales are slow but anticipated to build. The retailers saw much larger crowds on Thursday night, and major apparel retailers are already  reporting an increase in sales over last year.” – Malissa McKnight,  Senior Marketing Manager

5. Mesilla Valley Mall: “Most stores that opened at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and stayed open all night said they were busiest from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., then very slow until 7 a.m. this morning.  Of the stores that opened at 5 a.m. this morning, they said traffic was slow until 7 a.m” – Susan Palmer, Marketing Manager