How do you feel about the sales being available before BF?

[vegbeauti]

@Rockfordmom, Yes, I noticed retail and restaurants were fairly empty, but all the service places were packed. For example, the tanning salons were packed with people trying to get the BF packages while they can. I guess with all the closures there's not much else to do. Might as well spend your money on the services you need anyway and things to entertain you. I'm locked into a BF special from 2014 - a $56 per month membership where I can use any of the high tech machines anytime I want. The package now costs $200 per month!

[Kanyon71]

Yes it was very quiet. I think people saw no reason to go out. We went out purely out of tradition. I am NOT a fan of these stupid month long sales and no really good deals or doorbusters on Black Friday itself. Store that brings them back next year will probably win BF 2023.

[cllehto]

I went to Walmart around 9AM and there were a few people there but not even as busy as a normal Friday.

[stewarta4]

I don't like it at all. One of my most favorite days of the year has just turned into another day for me...I didn't buy anything this year and felt zero excitement...*sigh*

[Kash]

The news keeps saying how wonderful Black Friday was. I keep thinking it wasn’t that busy. I can’t wait to see the real numbers in the sales reports/ quarterly earnings.

[Kanyon71]

It was sort of funny, I saw more people in Walmart on Saturday grocery shopping (by far) than we saw in the stores in Black Friday itself.

[MariahA]

Did anyone else experience short lines and not a lot of people in the stores BF morning? Mendards had half the people it usually does, I was in and out in 20 minutes, and had no checkout line. Then I went to Meijer and drove past a not even half filled Best Buy parking lot, and there was barely anyone at Meijer. I went to Joanne Fabrics and normally wait an hour in the fabric cuttling line, and there was 1 person in line in front of me. I actually went there twice and there were no lines either time. I went to 5 Below and there was barely anyone in there, and I have waited in a line before to get in there BF morning. Every store I drove past had half-full parking lots. Kohls you normally have to park in the overflow lot, and I parked near the doors.

I only went to Dollar General on Thanksgiving but what I noticed mostly people were there for last minute things for dinner or sick people, not the deals. The line was it's usual ridiculous ness but that's a DG thing with only one register/employee working.

 

Between everything being available online, the spread out sales, and inflation I think it hit the in person shopping hard. I haven't heard anyone who really ran into long lines aside from the one who went to the outlets and my sister at Bath and Body Works.

[Hubbalance]

Hate it. Too hard to figure out what to buy or to know if you are getting the best deal. Just confusing. When you are waiting on lists and watching the deals go by. And the deals were not even that good and some were misleading.

[mgreen]

I like the old way too. No excitement when sales are so spread out. Also, you never know who will have the best deal on the items you want. A lot more time and energy to monitor a month's worth of sales, plot and plan dates, etc.