Black Friday shopping has changed drastically in just a few years. It was a day filled with tents pitched in front of stores, people fighting over a “Tickle Me Elmo” and shopping beginning as early as midnight. Unfortunately, due to the rise of companies like Amazon, it is no longer an exclusive day event that starts before sunrise.
“We used to wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning and drive to the outlets, everything would be open early. Now places don’t open as early as they used to. The sales would only be on Black Friday instead of the whole week like they are today,” said teacher Nicole Cooney.
Cooney remembers how exciting it was to make Black Friday shopping a full day event. Some of her favorite stores to visit were the Kate Spade, Nike, and Ugg outlets where she was able to find quality items on sale.
Black Friday shopping this year confirmed Cooney’s ideas. Stores started their Black Friday sales the week before and continued them the whole weekend after. Stores opened at their regular times and only offered sales between 15-30% off. Some stores had sales where you had to buy three items before you could even get a percentage off of your purchase, or only offered a percentage off of one item.
Online shopping has made Black Friday less significant. Many feel that they can find the same deals online without the massive crowds, fighting, and with the lack of deals, it seems it may be worth it. Amazon has even begun their Black Friday deals an entire week early, making the excitement leading to the event disappear.
Even with changes Black Friday shopping can still be fun and beneficial. There are still many people who shop on Black Friday and are able to find some sales.
“Make Black Friday shopping into your own event. Grab your friends, wake up early anyways, and shop till you drop all day long,” advised Nicole Cooney.
