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Black Friday is a day some people look forward to just as much as, and perhaps even more, than Thanksgiving. In preparation for Black Friday, friends and families tend to get together, stay up late, and wait in lengthy lines for hours to score the best deals of the year. Whether it be scoring a new electronic device for oneself or getting all of ones Christmas shopping done on the one day that everything is discounted, shoppers are packed like sardines into shopping malls and stores alike.
This year has obviously looked very different than previous years. What with a pandemic, the election, fires, hurricanes, murder hornets, etc. it’s a year for the history books. It seems impossible to remember all of the events that have occurred this year. This year has changed most aspects of daily life, affecting school and work, holidays, and now, Black Friday as well.
A variety of stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Ulta, and many more have already announced they will be closed for Thanksgiving. Which seems to be a positive that has come out of this pandemic. Many workers get scheduled to work on Thanksgiving to prepare for Black Friday deals and miss out on quality family time, so stores closing will give many families a chance to celebrate together that they may have not had before.
Black Friday almost makes it impossible to social distance with lines and crowds waiting for stores to open and deals to launch. So, this year stores are doing something a bit different. Black Friday seems to be taking a page out of its sister sale Cyber Monday’s book and moving to a more virtual and safe option. Not only are stores offering and promoting special on-line deals for Black Friday versus in store only, but they are also expanding Black Friday deals. What once was a one day only deal on everything under the moon, has now become a month-long savings party.
Many stores have already started offering deals, marketing them as Black Friday deals. Some sale ideas have been to offer weekly deals, many stores have been sending out mass emails left and right to announce to customers that they have special savings available, whether it’s online only, on the app, or in person. They appear to have new and better deals every week leading up to Black Friday.
This seems like a fantastic idea. It promotes safe shopping by spreading their deals out throughout the month allowing shoppers to attend at different times instead of everybody cramming into a store at once, fighting for the best deals. With the ongoing pandemic, it is a great way to keep people safe, limit the amount of people attending deals in person, and hopefully allow people to stay socially distanced.
It also gives families a chance to stay home and really enjoy the holidays with their families. With deals spread out throughout the month and most of them online, there will be more time for family during the holidays, for shoppers and hopefully workers alike.