ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The holiday shopping season unofficially kicks off in just a couple of days on what’s known as Black Friday.

What are the trends and are folks expected to fork over the funds for the presents this year? A local mall general manager and shoppers gave their takes.

“We obviously love this time of year," said the general manager of Ontario County’s Eastview Mall, Mike Kauffman. "[It's a] great time of year for us. Our merchants love it. We're expecting a really good holiday season for us.”

Kauffman says stores in the Victor mall are gearing up for a huge weekend of sales.

“This is obviously a huge weekend for us," he said. "It's kind of a symbolic start to the season. It’s been a good year. And normally when we have a good year, January through October, it carries on through the holidays.”

Kauffman says the trends show that people are returning to shopping in-person.

“They like to come out and kind of see and feel and touch the products they want to buy," he said. "But they also like to get out and see their friends and come out to the mall with their family and have a good time.”

What are folks buying this year? Kauffman says electronics and clothes.

“It's more electronic than anything else," shopper Zavid Butman said. "Like, just with how stuff is nowadays, it's mostly just like clothes and shoes and stuff like that, because it's more stuff that people need. Because money's real tight with a lot of people."

“Well, [I'm shopping] mostly for my grandchildren," said shopper Mary Habasi. "So it's like Minecraft and Zelda and Legos. What else do they like? Pretty much, they like anything."

"]I'm shopping for] pretty much anything sentimental," shopper Ally Rauber said. "I like getting people things that they're going to hold on to for a while. Anything that involves family members or loved ones that is going to hold them close.”

But Kauffman says the gift-giving trend seems to be shifting toward more social experience gifts – like tickets to events or gift cards to restaurants.

“I think we're going to see that category probably amongst the strongest categories for us this season," he said.

“My wife and I have agreed since we've been getting my niece and nephew gifts, that we're going to get them one small gift every year for the last four or three years," shopper Ryan Jackson said. "And then the same year, the real big-ticket item part is the experience. We want to have more experiences with them, more than, things that are there.”

So store owners and the mall are feeling positive heading into the holidays.

“We see a direct correlation between how the stock market performs as to how sales perform here at the mall," Kauffman said. "You know, it's been a pretty good run for the stock market. And it's been a pretty good run for us."