Will Black Friday Disappear?

I hate standing in line for the fitting room, especially when the person in front of me has a thousand garments they want to try on. And typically, Black Friday shopping is met with many of those annoying lines that make you feel several years older after getting out of them. In recent years, I feel like the number of people who go Black Friday shopping in person has been slowly dwindling down, especially this year because of the pandemic. 

Black Friday is the perfect day to go to your favorite shops and can be a very big event for small businesses. It also presents a great opportunity for Christmas shopping with good deals. I’m sure you’ve seen videos of people fighting for TVs like rabid animals at their local Walmart because the deal was “that good.” I went Black Friday shopping this year and didn’t encounter any issues with crowding. I believe the two main reasons for this are the following: people don’t have the capital to spend now like they’ve had in the past years, and online shopping is beginning to take over. 

First off — money. Money, money, money. People have not made the same revenue as they would have made any normal year because of the pandemic. Countless businesses have shut down due to commercial inactivity and this has resulted in many people losing their jobs. Loss in jobs leads to less expendable income. Because of this, people couldn’t go crazy on deals because they have other things to worry about, like getting food on the table. Though sad, this is one of the contributing factors as to why I think people didn’t show up to the malls this past Black Friday. 

Another reason is the internet. Online shopping has had a surge in popularity the past couple of years due to convenience. Online shopping appeals greatly to people who hate having to go through the trouble of driving all the way to the mall to purchase a pair of shoes or clothes. It also provided an easier time out for introverts who do not like the social anxiety that shopping can bring, such as talking to employees for help locating items.  In light of the pandemic, Americans now had time to spare, which naturally resulted in an indulgence in technology. People are way more tech-savvy and just prefer convenience over having to go look through racks of apparel, instead preferring to scroll and select what they want. 

The question is whether Black Friday will become a similar day to Cyber Monday, where online deals will become our new reality, or will Black Friday just be totally driven out by technology?