Andrew Alonzo
Staff Writer
Another year of Black Friday deals is behind us and while some waited until Monday to acquire the Cyber Monday sales, there are still those who embrace the waiting lines.
Black Friday has complimented and competed well with Cyber Monday, but over the years the Black Friday craze has turned into a four-day-shopping weekend.
This has allowed Black Friday deals to be more accessible to the public, and helps stores gain the business of those who have to work on Black Friday.
According to the Wall Street Journal, foot traffic in malls have seen a steady decline on Black Friday over the years.
The Wall Street Journal used RetailNext, a service that uses cameras to track people in some malls and retailers, and traffic has gone down between five and nine percent since 2017.
“I usually come on the weekends now just because most of the deals are the same and the lines have died down by the time Saturday rolls around,” said shopper and La Puente resident Jesus Barcenas.
“Last year I worked on Black Friday at midnight, so by the time I got out early in the morning most of the deals on the stuff I wanted was gone.”
Richard Tran, San Gabriel resident, tries to stay clear of the Back Friday traffic, sometimes waiting until Cyber Monday to get a majority of his shopping done.
“On Thanksgiving day is when I’ll look for the deals on things I want,” Tran said. “I won’t do my physical shopping until later in the weekend.”
Big name retail outlets like Target, Macy’s and Best Buy gave shoppers a head start on Thanksgiving at 5 p.m., and Walmart opened their doors an hour later.
Electronics such as Samsung TVs and the newest gaming systems are what a majority of the crowds lined up for as door buster deals ranging from 50 to 80 percent off store-wide made $1,000 items merely a few hundred.
Stores like Bath and Body Works were decorated with flashy and bright holiday colors, with advertisements of $3 fragrances and more on every shelf.
“We just had a new fragrance come back, Forever Red, which was available until 9am only on Black Friday for $4.99,” said Andrea Alinise, a sales associate for Bath and Body Works West Covina. “We did this in an attempt to get more people to come in and shop.”
As people got their fix of shopping, stores made sure to leave a lasting impression on customers by gifting them items and leaving special offers in their bags.
At Victoria’s Secret, consumers received a free blanket once they reached a spending limit of $85.
Aeropostale placed items in a red sturdy bag with their 60 to 70 percent off store-wide sale printed on the sides.
Stores bombarded their online subscribers with online coupons that were good for the day or a catalogue of what was going to be on sale.
“I subscribe to the stores that I like, and when they send coupons and emails, it lets me know what’s out there and encourages me to shop more,” said San Gabriel resident Lucy Le.
Some shops may be done with in-store deals but a new trend called Cyber Week has sprung upon local and big name retailers.
Walmart, Target and Amazon are still offering their Cyber deals until Saturday so there is still time to get some shopping done.
Andrew Alonzo can be reached at andrew.alonzo@laverne.edu.
