How COVID-19 has changed Black Friday
Virus pandemic pushes more sales and deals online
Toilet paper or television. PlayStation or paper towels.
How we are shopping this holiday season – and what we are shopping for – has changed, sometimes dramatically, amid the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, a can of Lysol spray or a 12-pack of double rolls might feel like a better score than a Black Friday doorbuster.
Now, the annual holiday shopping pastime coincides with a pandemic that has brought record COVID-19 infections threatening public health, and record unemployment undercutting Americans’ financial wellbeing.
Still, despite reports of its demise, Black Friday hasn’t been canceled; it’s become more like the longest Cyber Monday ever. And while public health officials hope that, if you don’t build it up, crowds won’t come, stores are still stacking piles of TVs in front of some of the closed fitting rooms in anticipation that some will.
Preventing a COVID-19 super-spreader
The images of Black Friday shopping frenzies past surely struck fear in the minds of retailers, employees and public health officials. We all know the scene: a crush of shoppers barely a breath apart, grabbing at the same unbelievable deal, whether it be a gaming console, TV, toy or bra.
2020 had to be different. In guidance issued before the fall holidays, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified “shopping at crowded stores just before, on or after Thanksgiving” on a list of higher-risk activities to avoid.
The nation’s largest retailers have been taking precautions, from more-regular cleanings to plastic sneeze guards at checkout counters to mask requirements to limiting the number of shoppers inside.
They’ve turned Black Friday from a short sale into a monthlong series of smaller sales that kicked off in the beginning of November to encourage shoppers to beat the rush, and to spread out demand.
And in the name of safety and crowd control, they moved many of the traditional big-ticket doorbuster items and most in-demand items, including the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X and S, to online-only sales.
According to a survey from the International Council of Shopping Centers, deals and promotions were not the top factor for shoppers in choosing where to shop over Thanksgiving weekend. COVID-19 precautions were the primary consideration for 36% of survey respondents.
“Malls and shopping centers are historically a hub for holiday tradition and festivity, so the holiday season may feel different this year as retail spaces contend with the challenges of COVID-19,” Tom McGee, ICSC president and CEO, said in a statement.
Black Friday or early Cyber Monday?
COVID-19 has helped reverse the trend of Thanksgiving Day store openings as retailers reverted to giving their employees a day to spend with their families.
A handful of stores still opened on Thanksgiving, but those openings pale in comparison to last year, with Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Macy’s and J.C. Penney among the stores that stayed closed.
Curbside pickup, where allows shoppers can pick up orders without leaving their car, had been rolled out as a option at some store locations years ago, but is now a larger part of Black Friday sales than ever.
Early in the pandemic, many stores started adding curbside as a contactless option even as some stores were closed to shoppers. Among the stores that have added curbside are Best Buy, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Old Navy and Signet Jewelers. In time for the holidays, Walgreens rolled out same-day pickup in as little as 30 minutes; it lets shoppers pick up online orders in stores, at curbside or at the drive-thru.
Opting for curbside pickup also is a way to avoid shipping delays, Sara Skirboll, RetailMeNot shopping and trends expert, told USA TODAY, adding that her research found that more than half of retailers plan to offer it as an option this season “to ease the stress of holiday shopping.”