Black Friday becoming less and less popular as online shopping increases, reports say
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
While some may be resting after Thanksgiving, others are gearing up to head to stores early to get the best deals they can today for Black Friday. However, according to recent data, more Black Friday shoppers are opting to shop online instead on in-store.
The National Retail Federation estimates that about 182 million shoppers will shop in stores and online throughout the weekend to find the best deals on typically high-priced items.
In past years, people lined up for hours outside of stores to grab the best deals they could, but due to the increasing popularity of online shopping lines have decreased.
ABC 17 News crews were at Best Buy in Columbia early Friday before the store opened.
There were about three cars in the parking lot around 5:30 a.m. About 15 minutes before the store opened, people started emerging from there cars. There was a line of about 30 to 40 people waiting outside the store before it opened.
Our crews spoke with shoppers who said they aren't surprised by the smaller number of in person shoppers due to the shift into online shopping.
"You've got Amazon with, you know, so many different products and whatnot. I think we'll probably see more people start to go online rather than come in person with that. So I think it's part of where we're going," said Black Friday shopper Colin Ross.
Due to the internet's popularity and the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are waiting until Cyber Monday to make purchases or opting to shop online for Black Friday deals.
Even though in-person shopping for Black Friday is getting less and less popular, experts say it isn't going away anytime soon.
Kristin McGrath from RetailMeNot says the number one thing to wait to purchase on Black Friday is and notorious has been TVs, stating year after year is when stores have their best prices on them.
McGrath also says items like air fryers, vacuums, and other small appliances are typically very discounted on Black Friday.
Stores like Old Navy, JCPenny's and Kohl's will open at 5 a.m. on Black Friday.
Macy's, Target, Best Buy, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes and Dick's Sporting Goods open at 6 a.m.
