Some Santa Fe shoppers keeping Black Friday tradition alive

Nov. 13—Santa Fe Ze Jewelers' Waleed Khalid, right, helps customers Sadie Rivera and her husband, Johnny Yara, of Las Vegas, N.M., Thursday at Santa Fe Place mall.Hunt's on for holiday deals

Black Friday pre-dawn shopping may largely be a thing of the past, but some Santa Fe holiday shoppers plan to stick to the tradition of buying gifts the day after Thanksgiving.

Santa Fe resident Luis Martinez is a Black Friday shopper, always has been, and hasn't embraced early November or October holiday shopping as so many Americans have.

"Just doing the same thing; to each their own," he said. "I'll probably be shopping [on Black Friday] or planning for Cyber Monday."

His friend Edwin Martinez also plans to shop on Black Friday.

"Online mostly, to be honest," he said. "Right now, if there's a deal, I'll take it."

Sadie Rivera and Johnny Yara were visiting Santa Fe Place mall last week from Las Vegas, N.M. Most of Rivera's holiday shopping is the week of Thanksgiving.

"It's about the time when we have the funds to shop," Rivera said.

Everett Martinez, not related to either of the above Martinezes, fondly remembers the 2010s tradition of midnight store openings, allowing him to shop at 2 a.m. and still spend the whole day with his family.

"I liked it like that," he said. "Now it's at 7 a.m. It takes away from your family time. I will probably not go out on Black Friday. I like spending time with my family."

Increasing online shopping and the coronavirus pandemic spelled an end to the wee-hour lines at big-box stores. By 2021, Black Friday had morphed into Black November, even October and September.

A 5 a.m. opening at Kohl's and JCPenney is as early as it gets in Santa Fe these days on Black Friday, with some retailers opening at 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. and others sticking to normal hours.

In a one-hour holiday forecast conference call by the National Retail Federation, Black Friday was briefly mentioned only twice.

"Gone are the days when the Friday after Thanksgiving was the kickoff," federation CEO Matthew Shay said during the call. "As important as that weekend remains, we know that four out of 10 [people] are taking advantage of retailers' special events earlier in the season."

Many local big-box stores now launch their Black Friday deals well before the date itself. Walmart's sales started last week, online at 3 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 8 and in stores at 6 a.m. FridayNov. 10. Kohl's had Black Friday Early Access on Thursday Nov. 9 only, and Michaels started Get Black Friday Prices on Trees Right Now on Nov. 7. Hobby Lobby waits a little longer, starting its Black Friday offerings Nov. 20.

New Mexico business advocates are leaning heavily into the small-business side of holiday shopping, which has its own special day: Small Business Saturday, two days after Thanksgiving.

"Small Business Saturday was designed for businesses to recover from the 2008-09 recession," said Jason Espinoza, New Mexico state director for the National Federation of Independent Business. "It's taken on a life of its own. One of the things it does is money spent at small businesses stays here locally. We encourage local shopping."

Small businesses in Santa Fe "are seeing really great revenue, primarily driven by tourism," said Rob Black, CEO of the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce.

"Our tourism has recovered so well," Black said. "We are having tourists back in play. This is the first full year we are hitting on all cylinders."

The city of Santa Fe in the next month or two plans to launch a "Buy Different, Shop Local" campaign to generate more interest for shopping at small businesses, said Johanna Nelson, the city's economic development director.

"We've got some world-class shopping here, world-class stores," Nelson said. "We talk about buying different. We have businesses that are unique. The biggest thing is it's keeping money in our economy."

Inflation, high interest rates, gas prices and credit card balances have not slowed holiday spending so far.

"This year will be a record amount of spending," Shay said. "Consumers are getting an earlier start than ever. All the way back into summer, we've been seeing deals."

Shay cited anticipated holiday spending across the country from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 of between $960 billion and $967 billion, higher than ever before and up from $930 billion last year. He believes consumers on average will spend $875 each, $42 more than last year.

National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinheinz sees "a disconnect between solid consumer spending and weak consumer confidence." Many people, he said, are still drawing on the money saved during pandemic lockdowns.

"The last few holiday shopping seasons have been filled with unmatched peculiarities for consumers and retailers alike," Kleinhenz said. "This year, a whole new set of dynamics is in place. The average household remains on relatively solid financial footing despite pressures from still-high inflation, stringent credit conditions and elevated interest rates."