Black Friday shopping kicks off in stores, continues online

Now that retailers let you pick up online orders in stores, and have gotten faster at shipping them to your doorstep, many consumers are expected to drop big bucks at the 11th hour. The DJI Phantom 3 Standard Quadcopter is listed at a 20 percent discount, making the $400 deal one of the cheapest in the market.

“I do most everything online now”, Tate said.

This year, 23% of Americans plan to shop in stores on Black Friday, according to a survey conducted by Bankrate.com, a financial-services company.

Macy’s Department Store in midtown Manhattan for the first time, opened its doors at 5 pm Thursday, one hour earlier than it used to. Most people go shopping on Black Friday, and it has become one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

While numerous big box or regional chain stores are destinations on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday is set aside to celebrate the local business owners who offer unique items, services and options. It’s also becoming an American export to other countries.

For example, Walmart stores in Bluefield and Princeton, and JCPenney at the Mercer Mall, launched their big Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving night – drawing large crowds for the early bird specials.

In general, many are offering the same deals in their brick-and-mortar stores as online, and they’re pushing them even earlier this year for online shoppers. “It kind of gets insane, it’s hectic, but it’s a great way to stay in shape”, said Ryder. They said they already had their Thanksgiving dinner and they were hoping to get some deals on gifts for their nephews. The good news is that you don’t have to wait to grab discounts and deals because Target started some sales on Tuesday, November 22 itself.

Also consider the following: The holiday season is undoubtedly the most important stretch of the year for the retail industry.

For those who couldn’t wait for the mall to open Friday morning, some stores around the area opened Thanksgiving night. He says, “I’ve got two teenage girls”. In 2015, almost 30 million people shopped on Thanksgiving – an increase from 2014 but down from the 45 million who shopped on the holiday in 2013. That includes online and store shopping.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Retail Index has risen 4.9 percent so far in November and is on pace for its best monthly return since July. But it includes online spending and other non-store sales such as catalog spending. It’s no wonder that the Walmart’s Black Friday 2016 shopping sale event does exactly the same but with new strategies.

Because although Black Friday sales begin weeks in advance, both professors agree that many consumers still want to be among the crowds for the rush and sense of tradition. “I planned ahead”, said the 30-year-old who lives in Germantown, Md., as he scrolled his smartphone for online prices. “Well, we might. It was okay, not what I thought it would be”, said Danielle Abercrombie and Miley Ruttley.