Sheila K Miller, New Media Journalist
The pandemic has changed much throughout the world, from the way we shop to how we socialize. Families canceled holiday gatherings this year. Also, Black Friday 2020 saw a decrease in foot traffic to the stores.
This decrease was visible in the parking lots of stores and malls throughout the tri-state Interstate 81 stretch of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. The early morning lines were smaller at opening time also. Preliminary data from Sensormatic Solutions reported Black Friday foot traffic fell by 52 percent. However, while there was a decrease in foot traffic, curbside pickup saw an increase of 52 percent.
Stores played a part in decreasing the foot traffic through several measures. Some retailers, including Walmart, offered Black Friday deals throughout November. Many stores cut their hours and limited doorbuster deals. Instead of opening on Thanksgiving Day, the retailers opened on Black Friday. In Martinsburg, West Virginia, Walmart opened at 5 a.m., one of the earliest retailers to open for the community.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Black Friday did not bring all bad news. Deloitte’s survey reported 64 percent of consumers’ budget to be spent online. Adobe Analytics data shows U.S. consumers spent $9 billion this Black Friday online, an increase of almost 22% from last year. On Thanksgiving, consumers spent $5 billion, bringing the two-day total to $14 billion.