What percentage of students at Reynolds do you think went Black Friday shopping? 50 percent? 75? Well, the answer from a Pine Whispers Twitter poll tells us that only 23 percent of students went Black Friday shopping. This may seem very low, but it is following the popular trend across the United States.
This year, data from RetailNext and ShopperTrak says that $12.1 billion was spent over Thanksgiving and Black Friday, a 1.5% decrease from last year’s numbers. Also, a $300 average spending budget for people this year was a 1.4% decrease from the year past.
“People aren’t willing to spend as much money,” Civics and Economics teacher Adam Gal said. Gal believes that this may be because people are more choosey about what they spend their money on due to hard economic times.Although fewer people went Black Friday shopping, there were still people crowding the malls trying to find the best bargain.
“There were some killer deals,” junior Henry Hollis said. Hollis went out around midday on Black Friday trying to find good buys.
Other students at Reynolds did not think going out to the packed stores was worth the sales.
“It’s ridiculous how chaotic it gets,” senior Andrea Villanova said.
Gal also believes that sales may have decreased due to the fact people may want to avoid the chaos in store. Even though many people still shop on Black Friday, many teens lean towards waiting until Cyber Monday, the Monday after Black Friday. This may be due to the fact people may not enjoy getting up early or waiting in a crowded department store.
“I’d rather sleep (than go Black Friday shopping),” Villanova said.
Convenience is also a factor in whether or not people will go out on Black Friday. “It is more convenient to shop online. People won’t sacrifice convenience for the ‘thrill’ of going into the store,” Hollis said.
Another reason Black Friday sales may have decreased is that sales have gotten earlier and earlier over the years.
“It takes away from Thanksgiving,” Villanova said.
As for the future in Black Friday sales, it is hard to determine what they will look like.