Black Friday sees low turnout in lines at retail stores
Shoppers had previously waited in front of stores for hours before Black Friday began
Parking lots at many retail stores were empty Thursday evening for Black Friday, and nobody was standing in lines awaiting the deals.
This comes in contrast to previous years in which shoppers would stand in line for hours on the afternoon of Thanksgiving in the hopes of securing Black Friday doorbuster deals.
"I see nothing. I’m surprised," retail worker Jeremy Pritchett told FOX 2. "Normally, it’s wrapped all the way around the building. Today: no one."
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Parking lots at many retail stores were largely empty Thursday evening for Black Friday, and nobody was standing in lines awaiting the deals. (iStock / iStock)
Pritchett recalls working retail during prior Black Fridays, when stores would prepare for an abundance of shoppers.
"We would get there probably around midnight, get everything set up," Pritchett said. "We let people in early, give them donuts and coffee, you know, to try to slow down the stampede and stuff, and it was busy. But it was also one of those that it was always fun, and it’s kind of gone it looks like."
This comes in contrast to previous years in which shoppers would stand in line for hours on the afternoon of Thanksgiving in the hopes of securing Black Friday doorbuster deals. (iStock / iStock)
"I think it’s a sign of the way the world is going. Virtual learning, virtual buying, everybody just wants to be able to sit on their couch and order what they want," he continued.
According to the National Retail Federation, more than 160 million people will shop for deals online from today through Cyber Monday.
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The National Retail Federation said more than 160 million people will shop for deals online deals from today through Cyber Monday. (iStock / iStock)
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Pritchett said he also shops online too, but that seeing no lines in from of stores is kind of sad.
"You miss that relationship. The customers that used to come in, you know, that type of stuff," he said. "Now, just like a lot of things in the world, it’s just a transaction. No one has that interaction anymore."