New York — Retailers were offering giveaways and big discounts to American shoppers on Black Friday, despite previous offers. The prospect of better discounts in the coming days and the ease of e-commerce have largely dissipated the hype of the holiday shopping season. kickoff.
With frequent deals running throughout the month and even more on Cyber Monday, consumers have less reason to fight over store shelves to buy that TV or toy. But malls and merchants large and small lured customers into physical stores the day after Thanksgiving at a time when many people prefer to browse and buy online.
Some Target shoppers were already lining up as early as 11:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving to get their hands on exclusive books about Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and bonus editions of her “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” album. Both products will be available online starting Saturday, but many stores are sold out of the products, the discount retailer said.
At a Target in Southfield, Michigan, a few miles north of Detroit, Marge Evans, 32, used her cellphone to take and send photos of shirts, sweaters and other clothing with Black Friday price reductions. Her shopping cart was full, but she was shopping not for Christmas but for an upcoming cruise with her fiancé.
“We’ll see how it goes in the first week of January,” said the 32-year-old massage therapist. “In fact, after the holidays are over is when the real deal happens. They remove everything.”
Industry analysts observed that Black Friday shoppers displayed the same picky, deal-driven behavior that many U.S. consumers have displayed all year long, adjusting prices following a period of inflation that began toward the end of the coronavirus pandemic.
For many stores, the huge crowds that once gathered on Black Friday have never returned since the pandemic. A Walmart in Germantown, Maryland had only half its parking spaces full on Friday morning. Some shoppers were returning items or buying groceries.
After returning to India from a month-long family vacation, 35-year-old software engineer Bharatharaj Moruejsan decided to check out Walmart’s offer due to the time difference. He bought an iPad for his 1-year-old daughter for $250, a 32% discount from the original price of $370.
“It’s a good deal,” Moruejsan said.
Marshal Cohen, senior retail advisor at market research firm Circana, said the number of shoppers seemed typical after visiting stores and shopping centers on Long Island, with the exception of those who lined up for Taylor Swift merchandise at Target.
“The proliferation of holidays has created a lack of need and urgency,” said Cohen, who has a team of 20 people monitoring crowds across the country. “This is going to be a long, slow, tedious process of getting shoppers to buy,” he said.
Michael Brown, a partner at management consulting firm Kearney, skipped the line at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, 10 minutes before the 7 a.m. opening.
“This is not the old Black Friday we used to know,” he said.
According to Brown, retailers attract shoppers by offering discounts of at least 40 percent. For example, Forever 21 had a 50-70% discount and there was a line to the store, H&M, which offers a 30% discount, was relatively quiet.
Enough consumers are still enjoying their holiday shopping that Black Friday is expected to retain its crown as the most visited day for retail stores in the U.S., according to retail technology company Sensormatic Solutions.
At Macy’s Herald Square in Manhattan, the filming location of the 1947 Christmas movie “Miracle on 34th Street,” a steady stream of shoppers gathered early Friday morning to find 50 percent off select shoes and handbags, 30 percent off special occasion dresses and 60 percent off. Sold at a % discount. Discover the luxury bedding brands in our store.
Keresa Clark, 50, and her daughter Morgan, 27, who were visiting New York from Wilmington, North Carolina, arrived around 6:15 a.m.
“I’m actually shocked at how many Black Friday deals there are because there are so many things online,” said Morghan Clark.
Caresa Clark, who works as a nurse, said President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House has made her feel better about the economy. She plans to spend $2,000 this holiday season, which is about $500 more than a year ago.
Julie Rambo, a retired schoolteacher, put aside her worries about the incoming Trump administration while shopping with her grandchildren at Target in Southfield, Michigan.
“I was absolutely terrified of the tariffs because I still need the car,” said Rambo, 74, but it was an issue he would have to face later. As she does every year, she was looking for Christmas gifts through a prison ministry primarily for children with incarcerated parents.
“When we shop, we also find things for ourselves,” Rambo said.
Thanksgiving online sales figures gave retailers reason to be hopeful that they could have a profitable year-end.
Vivek Pandya, senior analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said consumers spent $6.1 billion online on Thursday, 8.8% more than on Thanksgiving Day last year. Larger-than-expected discounts helped spur spending on electronics, clothing and other categories, Pandya said.
Overall, Black Friday weekend discounts are expected to peak at 30% on Cyber Monday and then retreat to around 15%, according to research from Adobe.
Analysts expect the holiday shopping season to be strong overall across the U.S., but perhaps not as active as last year. With five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, retailers have stepped up efforts to get shoppers to buy in bulk early.
Shoppers at Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie, Louisiana, received a glass of champagne and a $50 gift receipt.
“This is a nice touch. I had just been talking to my best friend and we were talking about Thanksgiving, so it ended up being a very small gift after that conversation. “Everybody needs a little drink,” said Faren Kennedy, a Houston resident who was visiting family and wanted to stop by the mall to get some nostalgia for Black Friday shopping.
About 13,000 people showed up in the first hour of opening at 7 a.m., about 13,000 more than a year ago, according to Jill Renslow, chief business development and marketing officer at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. This is an increase of 1,000 people.
Renslow said the mall is aiming to exceed 200,000 Black Friday customer visits in 2023. Stores offering deep discounts and promotions are the busiest, she said, citing a retro record player that Lego is giving away for free with a $250 purchase.
Stephen Lebovitz, CEO of CBL Properties, which operates 85 shopping properties, and Bill Taubman, president and chief operating officer of luxury mall owner Taubman Realty Group, also reported an increase in customer visits.
Black Friday is no longer just a sales event held in the United States. Retailers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom have also attracted interest from holiday shoppers looking to save money.
In India, about 200 Amazon warehouse workers and delivery drivers rallied in New Delhi on Friday, some wearing masks of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, demanding better wages and working conditions. Similar protests were planned in other countries.
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Hadero reported from Germantown, Maryland. Stephen Smith in New Orleans and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this story.
