Based on traffic in stores, Black Friday is looking bleak this year for retailers. Maybe folks are shopping online. My wife was out today and she said Target and other stores were basically empty and she never had to wait at the cash register. Lack of Black Friday shoppers waiting in line at retail stores https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/lack-of-black-friday-shoppers-waiting-in-line-at-retail-stores/ Retail store parking lots were empty Thursday, with no one standing in line waiting for Black Friday shopping deals. The days of sleeping off Thanksgiving meals in tents while waiting in long lines for doorbuster deals are long gone. “I see nothing. I’m surprised,” said Jeremy Pritchett. “Normally, it’s wrapped all the way around the building, today no one.” He remembers working in retail during traditional Black Friday shopping, and it was not that long ago. “We would get there probably around midnight, get everything set up,” Pritchett said. “We let people in early, give them donuts and coffee, you know, to try to slow down the stampede and stuff, and it was busy. But it was also one of those that it was always fun, and it’s kind of gone it looks like. “I think it’s a sign of the way the world is going. Virtual learning, virtual buying, everybody just wants to be able to sit on their couch and order what they want.” The National Retail Federation said more than 160 million people will shop for deals online now through Cyber Monday. Pritchett said he shops online too, but standing in front of an empty store brings a sense of sadness. “You miss that relationship. The customers that used to come in, you know, that type of stuff,” he said. “Now, just like a lot of things in the world, it’s just a transaction. No one has that interaction anymore.”
Inflation is hitting hard this year and the discount is not as steep as pre-covid and people are still in this great resignation mode and companies are still looking for workers so it's not surprising that retail shopping is not as strong as before although I got a pretty good price on this ASUS 24 inch gaming monitor though for $159.00. https://www.asus.com/displays-desktops/monitors/gaming/vg248qg/ So now I will be reading all of your comments in ultra HD. LOL
What does this say for Retailer stocks come Monday? Thin Black Friday crowds mark U.S. holiday shopping kickoff https://www.reuters.com/business/re...ppers-return-stores-chasing-deals-2022-11-25/ Thin crowds of inflation-weary consumers hunted for Black Friday deals at stores in big cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and other locales, marking the start of a U.S. holiday shopping season crucial to retailers in an uncertain economy. Many shoppers who opened their wallets said their purchases were strategic, not impulsive or splurges. "We've been waiting" for discounts, said Tulio Rose, 28, who picked up a big-screen TV at a Best Buy store in Los Angeles, while shopping with Barnisha Nill, 35. They saved about $500 on the 85-inch (2.16-meter) Samsung TV for their new apartment. About 166 million people were planning to shop from Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday through this coming "Cyber Monday," according to the National Retail Federation, almost 8 million more than last year. But with sporadic rain in some parts of the country, stores were less busy than usual on Black Friday. "Usually at this time of the year you struggle to find parking. This year, I haven't had an issue getting a parking spot," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry adviser of the NPD Group Inc. "It's a lot of social shopping, everybody is only looking to get what they need. There is no sense of urgency," Cohen added, based on his store checks in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. At the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, there were no lines outside stores. A Toys 'R' Us employee was handing out flyers with a list of the Black Friday "door buster" promotions. Those who made it to the mall were surprised at the deals. "There's a lot of deals that weren't advertised. Some of the stores I got 50% off everything I bought," said Christine Chavez, 45. She added that she is primarily gift shopping and picked up items from Victoria Secret and Torrid. "I was hesitant to come to the mall, and I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised," Chavez added. Many shoppers looking for Apple's (AAPL.O) latest high-end phones returned empty handed from its stores as the technology company struggles with production snafus in China. ONLINE PREFERENCE At a Dollar Tree (DLTR.O) store in Rockville, Maryland, shoppers said they were looking for specific items or picking up household items like sodas and dish sponges. "There's a lot of deals that weren't advertised. Some of the stores I got 50% off everything I bought," said Christine Chavez, 45. She added that she is primarily gift shopping and picked up items from Victoria Secret and Torrid. "I was hesitant to come to the mall, and I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised," Chavez added. Many shoppers looking for Apple's (AAPL.O) latest high-end phones returned empty handed from its stores as the technology company struggles with production snafus in China. ONLINE PREFERENCE At a Dollar Tree (DLTR.O) store in Rockville, Maryland, shoppers said they were looking for specific items or picking up household items like sodas and dish sponges. WARY CONSUMERS Americans, especially from low-income households, are expected to pull back this year as inflation and higher energy prices pinch spending power. Europe's retailers face a worsening cost-of-living crisis and the distraction of the soccer World Cup. Retailers are offering steep discounts both online and in stores, which may pinch profit margins in the fourth quarter. Consulting firm Kearney said its checks showed apparel retailers were the most active with sales, offering as much as 60% off on merchandise. TV sets and electronics also bore strong discounts to tempt consumers who have been tightening their purse strings. Walmart (WMT.N) ramped up marketing for the holiday, purchasing ad space on Twitter and Instagram, during National Football League games and on billboards near New York City's Penn Station. Amazon (AMZN.O) was offering a plethora of deals, including up to 42% off on Roomba vacuums, 45% off on Calvin Klein men's T-shirts and up to 50% off on Chromebooks from Lenovo, HP, Acer and ASUS. "It's hard to tell how Black Friday is panning out so far," said Michael Brown, a partner at Kearney. "We have to look at the whole holiday season. The slowness in purchasing might get pushed out to Cyber Monday or further." Black Friday is expected to bring in $9 billion from online sales, a modest increase of 1% from last year, with shoppers now flocking to brick-and-mortar stores after a COVID-19 pandemic-led pause over the last two years.
Reasons: 1. People realizing it is mostly BS. 2. Lots of deals were available days earlier. 3. There are Cyber Monday and extended Black Friday,etc.
Went to several big-retail Friday... Walmart, Petsmart, Burlington, Macys, and JCP. No packed areas of the stores, no wait checkout anywhere(with some un-open registers/lanes) and all items on my list in stock. Also went to factory outlet mall... VERY busy, but with a visible lack of packages in peoples hands. Sketchers outlet in particular was the busiest during my shopping adventure. This was in Las Vegas NV.
I read the other day that most people are using applications like https://keepa.com. It is not that easy anymore to simulate a discount, people are way more aware of their marketing tricks. Black Friday is not that interesting when prices don't change much.
Who the f*ck wants to wait in line when you can hit the web anytime of the day? Also shoppers are not as dumb as they used to be. These day, you can literally compare discounted prices between different stores. BTW this is the REAL headline quoted by Adobe Analytics for this year's Black-whatever shopping fiasco: U.S. Black Friday online sales hit record $9 bln despite high inflation - Adobe Analytics https://www.reuters.com/business/re...day-online-sales-hit-record-9-bln-2022-11-26/
Amazon Bezo's warned that things are going to get ugly. The consumers are tapping out their credit cards. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...cans-should-prepare-for-the-worst/ar-AA1468z0
The current news is that online sales were a record 9 Billion, so people shopping online instead of fighting for that 20 bucks discount at Walmart, while catching Covid: https://www.reuters.com/business/re...day-online-sales-hit-record-9-bln-2022-11-26/.
On the flip side, have you checked out the 2nd-hand shops? I can tell you... BUSY BUSY BUSY! Parking lots were jammed packed. Not all of them were seniors.