JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This year between Black Friday and Cyber Monday some retailers are not feeling optimistic.
Best Buy, Lowes and Kohls all reported that sales dropped during their most recent quarter and are forecasting a drop in holiday sales this year.
That’s a dramatic turn from 2021 when holiday sales spiked by 14%.
Economists said shoppers are more cautious because of inflation, higher interest rates and student loan repayments.
Despite those numbers, there are still millions of people shopping during Black Friday.
In-person Black Friday shopping is still a thing, and don’t get it twisted, those faithful shoppers are still out there.
News4JAX spoke to a group that was the first in line outside JCPenney at the Orange Park Mall to wait ahead of the store opening at 5 a.m.
“We get coffee, we go shopping, we get breakfast, we go shopping more and more shopping and then go home and sleep,” Deborah said.
It’s an all-day affair.
“It’s just a fun thing to do with people. Like bonding,” said Brooke.
Dana and Daniel were not too far behind and even started arranging their plans to come back to the same store later in the day for more.
News4JAX was there when the doors to Dick’s Sporting Goods slid open at 6 a.m. for the first shoppers waiting to get inside.
According to a consumer report from Deloitte, which is a well-known service provider for things like audits, consulting and financial advising:
- Consumers are expected to spend an average of $567 between Black Friday and Cyber Monday
- That means they would spend close to $74 more this year than last year
Remember many years ago when Black Friday was a day of chaos? You would see people running into the stores, pushing people away, and in some cases, there would be fights. Those days are pretty much gone. But it is still busy.
Sharlena was in line at the Orange Park Mall ready to shop for her six grandchildren but as a Black Friday shopping seasoned veteran, she said it was easy.
“Normally years ago, there were lines. This is nothing. I will probably hit three more stores,” she said.
Getting the shopping done in person first before turning their attention to finding deals online for Cyber Monday.