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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBlack Friday is the latest victim of Covid-19
The pandemic came for our vacations, our sports and our restaurants. And now, after weeks of speculation and guessing, analysts say its clear: Covid-19 has also claimed retail bellwether Black Friday.
Its not Black Friday. Its not people waiting in line the way were used to, said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at The NPD Group. Cohen said in hours of driving around retail centers, he saw lines only outside Macys flagship New York City store and a suburban Best Buy. All the other stores, you would have thought it was like any other Friday in November, he said.
The concept of Black Friday as a singular day was already on the wane for several years prior to the coronavirus pandemic: The proliferation of online shopping, combined with retailers desire to avoid the bad press that inevitably followed clips of brawling customers tussling over TVs, had led to a dilution of the extreme-sports nature of the day, although more than half of all the people in the country some 165 million were expected to hit the stores over the course of the long weekend in 2019.
This year, stores started promoting holiday sales as far back as October, and made Black Friday sale prices available well in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, while Amazon switched its Prime Day shopping event from July to October. The pandemic also seems to have killed off the contentious practice of opening stores on Thanksgiving Day itself, with most major retail chains announcing 5 a.m. Friday opening hours.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/black-friday-is-the-latest-victim-of-covid-19/ar-BB1bqxjC?li=BBnb7Kz
MAGATs aside most of us want to live.
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)You made my night and so true!
ProudMNDemocrat
(16,477 posts)I did get a few things today when out with my daughter.
Just ordered WeatherTech floor liners for our car and cup phone holders for our kids and eldest granddaughter.
happybird
(4,515 posts)my boss said he was shocked and appalled at the crazy packed parking lot when he drove by the outlet mall this morning. The tree farm I passed on the way to work had traffic backed up on the highway for nearly 2 miles. Thank goodness it was on the other side of the divided highway and was gone when I came home on that side.
People are friggin idiots.
csziggy
(34,119 posts)Though this year I took advantage of the pre-Black Friday sales to buy a receiver. Sometimes I do Local Saturday Shopping but not this year.
My family stopped doing gift exchanges in 2001. My husband has Dirty Santa gifts for the Adult - each person buys one gift, people draw numbers and pick gifts in that order. More rules to it that make it fun: http://www.dirtysantarules.com/
Only the adults that attend the Christmas get together provide gifts and play the game so there won't be one this year since both T-Day and Christmas get togethers are cancelled.
The kids get gift cards to buy books with - I need to get those next week and get them mailed. In normal years they get to go to the book stores and select their own books when they are old enough - the parents say the kids love it and it helps them learn budgeting. This year I guess the parents can teach them how to do online shopping!
tanyev
(42,356 posts)Stayed home, read a book, watched some TV, ate turkey.