Black Friday eventually bustles as online shopping gains steam
A week of big online discounts as well as Thanksgiving-night deals gave Black Friday a slow start at Central Florida’s most popular shopping destinations, but shoppers were out in full force by late morning and ready to score deals.
From Altamonte Mall to Waterford Lakes and Disney Springs to Toys R Us in Kissimmee, stores noted smaller early crowds than last year Friday morning after a subdued Thanksgiving night. Some big chain stores saw large crowds with steep discounts, like 20 percent off anything at Bed Bath & Beyond, or 50 percent off anything at Old Navy. Cars packed parking lots by midday Friday and bargain-hunters bustled around shopping centers laden with brimming bags.
Smaller lines on Thanksgiving and Black Friday were part of a
SHOPPING changing strategy among retailers trying to keep up with consumers who are spending more of their money online. Stores started Black Friday sales as early as Sunday and many retailers matched doorbuster deals online.
“All the indications show that traffic in stores is subdued this year and online sales continued to grow, maybe even more than expected,” said Chris Christopher, an analyst with economic research firm IHS Markit. “The online part of the Black Friday week is breaking record after record.”
Research firm Adobe Analytics showed online sales for Black Friday morning were up 18.4 percent year-over-year, including a 61.1 percent increase in mobile-device visits.
Several shoppers in Central Florida noted that they had already done much of their holiday shopping online before setting foot in a store during the Black Friday shopping weekend, while others wouldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Piled with Star Wars action figures, a Batman playset and wrapping paper, Felicia Steele’s cart filled quickly at Toys R Us just before lunch. It wasn’t her first run, though.
“I did most of my shopping online this year and went out early Wednesday too,” said Steele, alongside her daughter and 3- and 6-year-old grandsons.
Vanishing Point owner Brandie Schiedel said her small boutique, a specialty shop that sells men’s and women’s apparel and accessories, can’t compete with some of the larger stores, in terms of offering discounts for Black Friday. However, she said she sent out an email blast to customers to suggest gift ideas and encourage them to visit the shop.
Schiedel, whose father owns the beachwear and accessories store Oceanology at Altamonte Mall, said she still expects a hectic weekend of sales.
“I know we will be cleared out in the next month,” she said.
Sisters Mariely and Liz Vega loaded a shopping cart at Toys R Us with children’s board games such as Pie Face.
“I was online at 6 a.m. this morning getting the deals I could,” said Mariely Vega, who said she was shopping for nieces and nephews. “I came here just to get the stuff that was on sale and I could only get in the store. I still ended up paying full price for a few things though.
Amid a trio wearing festive outfits for a Black Friday trip to Waterford Lakes Town Center, Cheryl Allen of Casselberry said the group found deals for 40 to 50 percent off at GameStop, Lane Bryant and other stores.
“We came out to spend time with family and have fun. We knew there would be good deals,” Allen said.
Disney Springs saw crowds early as customers lined up for special edition merchandise such as holiday-themed Dooney & Bourke purses at Marketplace Co-Op, but the rest of the shopping center was quiet until tourist crowds rolled in around 10 a.m.
Decked out in holiday colors, Altamonte Mall saw children waiting in line to give their Christmas wishes to Santa Claus and vendors standing in doorways trying to tease shoppers inside.
Some shoppers made an event of the holiday weekend with customized tshirts for their groups.
Leah Dyson of Daytona Beach donned a black Tshirt with the words “Operation: Black Friday” while shopping at Altamonte Mall. She nabbed $40 train table for her 2-year-old son at nearby Toys R Us, and then headed back out to shop.
“It’s a season to give,” she said.
In between rounds of family card games, Linda Grady found time to visit Altamonte Mall with her daughter to shop for clothing and gifts, arriving about 8:30 a.m. for her first shopping stop of the weekend — she skipped sales on Thanksgiving day.
“We didn’t want to encourage that,” she said.