Is Black Friday Shopping Still Worth It?

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Unsplash/Arturo Rey

With Covid-19 changing the world as we know it do we still have time for Black Friday shopping?

Khindred Parinas, Reporter

With the economy continuously changing as a result of  Covid-19 and the holiday season rapidly approaching, Black Friday shopping has taken a new form now in our changing world. Black Friday is known as the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season as the day after Thanksgiving signals that Christmas is right around the corner. With the increase of the commercialization of Black Friday, it is being more and more enforced that the deals that you see in the paper or on TV are the best that you are going to get out of this whole year. But are these deals just blind consumerism or people jumping on the best deals available at the right time?

The pandemic has given retailers a holiday shopping season that was earlier than expected with brands like Macy’s and Target recently announcing that they would be giving their Black Friday deals throughout November starting on the 1st.

Target will have different weekly deals throughout November for various sections throughout their store. Target is making it easier for their customers by trying to get more of them to use their drive-up feature to pick up the items they’ve purchased online. Target has also increased the number of drive-up spots in its stores, expecting almost 8,000 more spots in their stores nationwide.  

With more stores moving to online shopping there are still options for shoppers who chose to go in-store. An example of this is the Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange (NEX), which will have a  limited number of shoppers in their store. They will not be allowing non-military guests in on key weekends in the holiday season. Although it may seem like a burden, this will make the NEX customer’s shopping experience easier. With one of the weekends being Black Friday it makes it easier for military shoppers with shorter lines and fewer people in the store on such a busy day. Other stores like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy have hired more employees to help with the crowds.

With all the improvements to the shopping experience, the next big question is: are the deals worth it? Much like other years, the real Black Friday deals are the doorbusters. The deals that have crowds lining up before store opening. But in 2020, stores are moving more of these doorbusters online. As a result of the transition to online shopping, many retailers are going to be offering different doorbuster deals weekly and sometimes daily. When making purchases on this unique Black Friday keep your wallet in mind and do some research to save yourself more money than you already are with these deals.