Stores busy on Black Friday despite online deals

Black Friday deals are underway at retailers big and small across the nation, and the Columbia Mall and stores around the city have been packed all day.

“We opened at 5 a.m., this morning and our lines were longer this morning than they were last year,” said Mark Francis, Academy Sports and Outdoors store director. “We’ve had a steady crowd come through the doors all morning long.”

Some stores open on Thanksgiving to get a head start on shopping, blurring the line of when Black Friday actually starts.

Columbia’s Academy was one of the retailers that chose not to open on Thanksgiving this year.

“Traditionally we have been closed on Thanksgiving Day and we plan to continue that,” Francis said. “Historically we have been able to be very busy other days and allow our employees to enjoy their families that day.”

The National Retail Federation expects holiday retail sales in November and December to increase as much as 4.8 percent, totaling $720.89 billion, but some of that will be from online sales.

The NRF also said the retail economy is heading toward online shopping now more than ever. Over the past year, purchases at online stores such as Amazon jumped more than 12 percent, while traditional store sales dropped 0.3 percent.

Francis said Black Friday is “real good” for Columbia’s economy.

“It brings people in from outside of the area and introduces our local businesses to other customers that normally would not be here,” he said.

Adobe Analytics tracks online retail spending and said Thanksgiving Day retail sales were expected to reach a record $3.7 billion, which is up 29 percent.