NEW YORK — After weeks of promoting early deals, retailers in the United States and some other countries tried to entice customers with promises of deeper discounts on Black Friday, the sales event that remains the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, even if it has lost some of its luster.
Department stores, malls and merchants — big and small — are looking at the day after Thanksgiving as a way to energize shoppers and draw them into physical stores at a time when many are doing the bulk of their browsing and shopping online.
According to retail technology company Sensormatic Solutions, enough consumers are enjoying their holiday shopping that Black Friday remains the biggest day of the year for retail visits in the US.
“Black Friday continues to be an incredibly important day for retailers,” said Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic. “It’s important for them to be able to bring customers into their store to show them what it’s like to see, touch and feel the products.”
At Macy’s Herald Square in Manhattan, a steady stream of shoppers early Friday found discounted shoes and handbags, 30% off special-occasion dresses and 60% off the store’s chic bedding.
Keresa Clark, 50, and her daughter Morgan, 27, who drove to New York from Wilmington, North Carolina, arrived at 6:15 a.m. at the store, which served as the setting for the 1947 Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Street “.
“Where we come from, we don’t have a Macy’s. I’m really shocked to see so many Black Friday deals because there are so many things online,” said Morgan Clarke.
Clark, who works as a nurse, said she feels better about the economy with President-elect Donald Trump’s expected return to the White House and plans to spend $2,000 this holiday season, about $500 more than a year ago.
She said she wouldn’t mind if prices rise next year as a result of tariffs on foreign-made goods that Trump has promised to impose. “Anything that can stimulate manufacturing in the U.S., I’m all for it,” Clark said.
Analysts expect the U.S. holiday shopping season to be solid, though perhaps not as robust as last year’s, with many shoppers cautious in their discretionary spending despite easing inflation.
In many stores, the maddened crowds of past Black Fridays have never returned since the coronavirus pandemic. Only half of the parking spaces were filled early Friday morning at a Walmart in Germantown, Maryland. Some shoppers returned items or made regular grocery purchases.
Bharatharaj Morwayson, a 35-year-old software engineer, said he doesn’t usually shop on Black Friday, but decided to check out the deals at Walmart because he was suffering from jet lag after returning from a month-long family vacation in India. He bought an iPad for his 1-year-old daughter for $250, down from the original price of $370.
“It’s a good deal,” Morwayson said.
With five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, retailers are scrambling to get shoppers to shop early and in bulk.
Target had an exclusive Taylor Swift tour book and a bonus edition of her album, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, which was said to be available in stores only on Black Friday. Customers can purchase them online starting Saturday.
Best Buy has introduced an expanded version of the door, a limited-time daily sale that has been all the rage for years and has sometimes caused fights. The country’s largest consumer electronics chain has released door-to-door deals every Friday since November 8 and planned to continue the weekly promotion until December 20.
Marshall Cohen, chief retail advisor at market research firm Circana, said impulse purchases and self-gifting were potential areas for big sales growth. According to research by Circana, shoppers are three times more likely to make impulse purchases in a brick-and-mortar store than online.
Tara Rutherford, 53, headed straight to Macy’s Herald Square to do some shopping for herself after finishing her night shift as a nurse at a Manhattan hospital. Newlywed Rutherford said she rarely goes shopping on Black Friday due to her work schedule, but “feels festive.”
“It’s all about me,” she said, looking at the boots, which were 40% off.
Black Friday is no longer just a holiday in America. Retailers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the UK have also reached out to holiday shoppers looking to save money.
In India, around 200 Amazon warehouse workers and drivers rallied in New Delhi on Friday, some dressed as Amazon chief Jeff Bezos, to demand better wages and working conditions. Similar protest actions were planned in other countries.
Camille Bjorkvist, 48, and her friend Tessa Goossens, 48, visited New York from the Netherlands to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with friends and shop at Macy’s. Although Black Friday has become a commercial event in the Netherlands, the women said it is not the same.
“Macy’s is special. It’s iconic,” said Goossens, who picked up a Samsonite suitcase and work suit on sale.
The National Retail Federation predicted that shoppers will increase their spending in November and December by 2.5% to 3.5% compared to the same period last year.
Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said shoppers’ greater interest in finding bargains this year will drive what goes on sale and when.
For example, Thanksgiving is the best time to shop online for the biggest discounts on sporting goods, toys, furniture and appliances, according to Adobe’s analysis. But Black Friday is the best time to buy TVs online. People who shopped for TVs early in the season found discounts of an average of 10.8%, while waiting until this Friday is expected to be a discount of 24%, according to Adobe Digital Insights.
However, Cyber Monday is expected to be the best time to buy clothes and gadgets like phones and computers online.
According to Adobe’s research, Black Friday weekend discounts should peak at 30% on Cyber Monday and then drop to around 15%.
Hadero reported from Germantown, Maryland.
This article was created from an automated news agency feed with no text changes.
