For almost a decade, Black Friday has been wildly popular among consumers. However, this year, Black Friday felt different. As social media becomes more popular, more consumers shop from the comfort of their couch instead of going in-store shopping.
From the beginning, this day was seen as a day for sprinting into stores before sunrise to snatch the best 24-hour deals. The sight of cash registers ringing and customers buying was very common on the day after Thanksgiving. In 1992, the economy was booming, leading more customers to spend their money. Since sales have shifted more and more to online shopping, businesses have seen a decline in customers lining up before sunrise. In 2005, the Monday after Thanksgiving was marked as a discount day for online shoppers, leaving in-store retailers to compete with what was called Cyber Monday.
Another contribution to the decline in in-person shoppers was the outbreak of Covid 19. Online sales boomed as quarantines and retail store closures were mandated. In 2020, online retailers expanded the idea of Cyber Monday to include a full week of special deals beginning the Monday before Thanksgiving. Online shopping was seen as a safer alternative, a way to avoid contact and make necessary purchases as the holidays approached.
Today, when customers shop on Black Friday, retailers stick to the prices that were slightly discounted a week or even a month in advance. Many yearn for Black Friday to be the way it used to be. Thousands on social media romanticize the Black Friday of the past.
As someone who loves shopping, I always thought of Black Friday as a day when everyone rushes out to their local mall to find the best deals, but it seems like I will never experience the type of zoo-like atmosphere when people bust down doors as soon as the stores open to find the best deals.
Despite the decline in Black Friday excitement, one fun and notable experience occurred this year when Edikted, an online store, had its grand in-person store opening at Irvine Spectrum around Thanksgiving week. The love this online store obtained brought many people to turn out on Black Friday. Crowds of shoppers formed a record-breaking line to get into the store. Many waited over two hours to enter the store; the brand’s big success reinstated people’s hopefulness for the continuation of Black Fridays.
I love the hustle and bustle of the old-school brick-and-mortar retail stores on Black Friday. While it will probably not be the same as it used to be, I hope to find a few remarkable examples like Edikted each year. The holidays would just not be the same without them.
