Black Friday used to be a day where people flocked to stores for early holiday shopping deals, but "not a creature was stirring" at some Black Friday sales in Connecticut.

Some customers News 12 spoke with say they think they know why most people stayed home this year. They say more sales begin before Black Friday - and most are online.

The Westfield Trumbull mall was largely empty just before noon and in the early afternoon. There were still some people who came out early for the deals.

Anchor stores like Macy's and JCPenney opened at 5 a.m. and then the rest of the mall opened at 7 a.m.

"I've been out here since 4:30. Game Stop opened at 5. They had the PS5 in stock. You won't believe this -- I got it for $140. Let me tell you how. I traded in a PS4 with a crap ton of games," said one customer.

Brian from Stratford says he hopes Friday isn't a sign of what future Black Friday's might look like.

"People got to come back out, man. We got to get this place packed like it used to be. Especially for the local small businesses," he said.

News 12 Connecticut's Mark Sudol spoke with shoppers at the Westfield Trumbull mall.