Black Friday was once the epitome of consumer chaos. Bargain hunters would form crowds at store entrances before they opened, then rush in and empty shelves in mere minutes. It was a day that captured headlines, TV coverage, and brought a sense of collective excitement — or dread, depending on who you asked.
But now the option and ease of online shopping has reshaped the experience.
This year, that shift was evident. In-store traffic on Black Friday was down by 8.2% compared to 2023, according to Sensormatic Solutions.
“It’s not the event it used to be,” said Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung on Boston Public Radio on Monday.
In the past as a business editor, Leung recalled how the newsroom would spend an entire week preparing for Black Friday coverage. “Who would get up at 3 o’clock in the morning? Which mall? [We had to] make sure we have all the south, northwest malls all covered.”
Despite the decline in physical store traffic, Black Friday remains the busiest retail day of the year in the U.S. Various malls in Massachusetts had special holiday hours, opening their doors as early as 6 a.m.
Leung acknowledged that while some shoppers still camp out for deals, many are choosing the comfort of online shopping.
Adobe Inc. reported that shoppers spent $10.8 billion online on Black Friday, a 10.2% increase from the previous year. Popular items included makeup, Bluetooth speakers, and espresso machines.
Leung said people are not necessarily spending more, and some may simply be delaying purchases. She said shoppers now wait until the weekend after Thanksgiving to take advantage of sales, like how some Massachusetts shoppers wait until one of the state’s sales tax holidays to make big purchases.
One more reason Black Friday isn’t the same as it used to be? Sales have stretched to attract shoppers over a longer period of time.
“What ends up happening is you shop three days, right? A little bit Friday, a little Saturday, a little Sunday,” Leung said.
