Black Friday bargain hunters get deals at Manhattan shopping mecca
It felt a bit like Christmas past on the streets around Macy’s flagship Herald Square store.
Black Friday shoppers descended on the Midtown shopping oasis in a year where retailers hoped for a rebound after two holiday seasons hit hard by supply issues and fears about the pandemic, with the streets packed as shoppers exited with multiple bags full of goods.
“Macy’s, H&M, Nike all day!” said Spanish tourist Claudia Cisneros, 26, adding the lines inside Macy’s were very long as the holiday shopping season kicked into gear. “I like the vibes, but it’s crowded. A lot of people.”
Cisneros, accompanied by her 26-year-old friend Pedro Lopez, showed off a $100 French Connection bag purchased for just $30.
“Everybody likes a nice deal,” agreed shopper Nick Jacob, 32, carrying his haul from the nearby Forever 21 store. “Sensible gifts on a budget? Who wouldn’t go for that? I literally didn’t do any Christmas shopping at all, just to take advantage of the Black Friday deals.”
But Christmas present was less busier on Steinway St. in Queens, where the omnipresent Black Friday signs in store windows attracted little attention this year from early bargain-hunters. The streets appeared barely busier than a typical Friday afternoon.
Melissa Perez, 28, of Astoria was doing her best to bump sales higher, leaving the local Bath and Body Works with a large bag of candles and gift sets after stumbling into a post-Thanksgiving sale.
“I was like, ‘Cool!” she said. “It’s just early Christmas shopping. There’s one box that cost $100 but I got it for $40.”
Others in the neighborhood showed little interest in getting an early jump on shopping.
“They always have signs that say it’s 50% off,” groused one local. “And then they just raise the price, and so 50% off is exactly the same price.”
Once again, some major retailers — including Walmart and Target — opted to keep stores closed on Thanksgiving Day. And Adobe Analytics reported shoppers already spent $5.3 billion online on the holiday, up almost 3% from 2021.
The National Retail Federation expects national holiday sales growth this year will reach a range of 6% to 8%.
Daven Ghandi, 34, of Jackson Heights, said he was waiting for Black Friday and a deal on a brown suede coat — for himself.
“I’m probably going to Macy’s or Nordstrom’s to see if they have any sales,” said Ghandi, an immigration lawyer who arrived in the city seven years ago. “If there’s nothing, I won’t get it.”
Even if he comes home empty-handed, Ghandi says the trip into Manhattan will be worth it.
“I think I’m also going out to see people,” he explained. “I think they took that way from us for like, two years. It’s nice just to be out and about.”
