Black Friday sales kick off the holiday shopping season, but expect to pay more this year
The second Black Friday of the pandemic is officially underway.
After weeks of early sales, Friday marked the official shopping holiday that Americans expect to bring great deals on an annual basis.
"Black Friday stopped being a one-day event years ago, and this year some consumers started shopping for Christmas as early as Halloween," National Retail Federation President Matthew Shay said. "NRF is encouraging consumers to shop safe and shop early, but retailers are confident they have enough inventory on hand to meet holiday demand.”
The early bird catches the worm
More shoppers were in stores Friday than last year, which was considered the quietest Black Friday in 20 years.
At 5 a.m., Walmart, Best Buy, Kohl's, Old Navy, JCPenney and Dick's Sporting Goods opened their doors. Walmart is one of the only stores that offered shoppers new deals, which were not available in stores before Friday. The retail giant's sale started online Monday.
Macy's and Bed Bath & Beyond followed at 6 a.m. before Target and GameStop opened at 7 a.m.
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At 4:30 a.m. on Black Friday, Maria Barrera and her mother took their place in line at Tulare's Walmart. The mother and daughter duo have gone Black Friday shopping together for years.
Last year was the first time they skipped the tradition.
"It's nice to be able to get out," Barrera said. "This year we decided, let's just go. Even if it's not for something specific."
By 9 a.m. on Friday, the parking lots at Tulare Outlets were starting to fill up and lines formed at several stores — Coach, Levi's and Nike.
Wendy Barrita and her family drove from Wasco to Tulare Outlets on Black Friday to take advantage of holiday deals. While in line at Nike, Barrita said it seemed much busier than last year.
"We came out to look for shoes," she said. "We didn't think there would be lines like this.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday mark the official kickoff to the holiday shopping season and the time of year when shoppers get focused on holiday spending. However, the pandemic finished off what the increase of online shopping started to slash years earlier: in-store-only doorbusters.
“Shopping early is a trend we’ve seen for years and it began long before the pandemic,” said Phil Rist, Prosper executive vice president of strategy. “While some consumers like the thrill of last-minute shopping and others just procrastinate, many prefer the comfort of having the shopping done early so they can relax and enjoy the season.”
For years, Black Friday has been losing importance.
Since 2011, stores jumpstarted the holiday shopping season by opening their doors on Thanksgiving to compete with Amazon and other rising online threats. But the shift merely cannibalized Black Friday sales. The shopping bonanza was further diluted when stores started marketing Black Friday sales for the full week and then later for the month.
Like last year, more retailers stayed closed on Thanksgiving than in recent years amid the pandemic and opened early Friday.
Barrera said she was thankful for the shift back to in store shopping on Black Friday.
"We were able to enjoy dinner and then go shopping," she said.
Shoppers will find higher prices this Black Friday, fewer discounts
Shoppers are expected to pay on average between 5% to 17% more for toys, clothing, appliances, TVs and other purchases on Black Friday this year compared with last year, according to Aurelien Duthoit, senior sector advisor at Allianz Research.
TVs will see the highest price spikes on average, up 17% from a year ago, according to the research firm. That's because whatever discounts available will be applied to goods that are already expensive.
Such frustrations could mute sales for the holiday season that are supposed to break records.
The National Retail Federation, the nation's largest retail trade group, predicts holiday sales will increase between 8.5% and 10.5% compared with the 2020 holiday period when shoppers, locked down during the early part of the pandemic, spent their money on pajamas and home goods – mostly online. Holiday sales increased 8.2% in 2020.
Target announces Cyber Monday sale
Hours into Black Friday, Target announced it will have a two-day “Cyber Deals” sale that will run online and in the store's mobile app Sunday and Monday, which is Cyber Monday.
Target said the online sale includes “deep discounts on the season’s must-have items, including furniture, bedding and bath, apparel, and beauty.”
The retailer also announced its "Holiday Best" deals through Dec. 4 in-store and online.
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Contributing: Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Black Friday deals: Stores open early as consumers shop for gifts
