Retailers bank on Black Friday to energize bargain-hungry holiday shoppers

NEW YORK — After weeks of pushing early deals, retailers in the United States and some other countries tried to seduce customers with promises of bigger discounts on Black Friday, the sales event that still reigns as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if it's lost some luster. Department stores, shopping malls and merchants — big and small — see the day after Thanksgiving as a way to energize shoppers and to get them into physical stores at a time when many gift-seekers do the bulk of their browsing and buying online. Enough traditionalists are still around that Black Friday remains the biggest day of the year for retail foot traffic in the U.S., according to retail technology company Sensormatic Solutions. "Black Friday is still an incredibly important day for retailers," Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic, said. "It's important for them to be able to get shoppers into their store to show them that experience of what it's like to browse and touch and feel items. It also can be a bellwether for retailers on what to expect for the rest of the holiday season." At Macy's Herald Square in Manhattan, there was a steady stream of shoppers as of 7:30 a.m. on Friday, an hour and a half after the flagship store opened. Discounts included 40% to 50% off most boots and shoes, special occasion dresses marked down by 30%, and 60% off the store's luxury bedding brand. The prices of many handbags also were listed as half-off. Keressa Clark, 50, and her daughter Morghan, 27, were visiting New York from Wilmington, North Carolina, and arrived at 6:15 a.m. at the store that served as the setting for the 1947 Christmas movie "Miracle on 34th Street." "We set the alarm for 5 and got out the door by 6," Morghan Clark said. "We don't have a Macy's where we are from. I am actually shocked to see so many Black Friday deals because so many things are online." Clark, who works as a nurse practitioner, said she was feeling better about the economy because of President-elect Donald Trump's pending return to the White House and plans to spend $2,000 this holiday season, about $500 more than a year ago because of her improved optimism. She said she would not mind if prices are higher next year as a result of the tariffs on foreign-made goods Trump has pledged to implement. "Anything that can encourage production in the U.S. I am all for it, " Clark said. "I am OK with paying higher prices." In the U.S., analysts envision a solid holiday shopping season, though perhaps not as robust as last year's, with many shoppers under financial pressure and cautious with their discretionary spending despite the easing of inflation. Retailers are even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minnesota, hoped to surpass the 12,000 shoppers who arrived last year within the first hour of the giant shopping center's 7 a.m. opening. This year, the mall is giving the first 200 people in line at the center's north entrance a $25 gift card. "People come to get the deals, but more importantly, they come for the excitement, the energy, the traditions surrounding Black Friday," Jill Renslow, Mall of America's chief business development and marketing officer, said. Target is offering an exclusive book devoted to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and a bonus edition of her "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology" album that only will be available in stores on Black Friday before customers can buy them online starting Saturday. Best Buy has introduced an extended-release version of the doorbuster, the limited-time daily discounts that for years were all the rage — and sometimes the spark for actual brawls. The nation's largest consumer electronics chain has released doorbuster deals every Friday since Nov. 8 and plans to continue the weekly promotion through Dec. 20. "(Stores) are very hungry for Black Friday to do well," Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor at market research firm Circana, said. "They recognize that they're not going to clobber and win big growth in online because the pie has gotten so competitive. They have to find a way to win in the stores." Impulse purchases and self-gifting are a potential area for big sales growth, and business isn't going to increase without them, Cohen said. Shoppers are three times more likely to buy on impulse at a physical store than online, according to Circana research. Tara Rutherford, 53, headed straight to Macy's Herald Square to do some shopping for herself after finishing her 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift as a nurse at a Manhattan hospital. A newlywed, Rutherford said she rarely shops on Black Friday because of her work schedule but was "feeling festive." "This is all about me," she said, eyeing boots that carried a 40% discount. She also planned to shop for a bedding set and was contemplating buying perfume. The National Retail Federation predicted that shoppers would increase their spending in November and December by between 2.5% and 3.5% over the same period a year ago. During the 2023 holiday shopping season, spending increased 3.9% over 2022. So far this holiday season, online sales have beaten expectations, according to Adobe Digital Insights, a division of software company Adobe. U.S. consumers spent $77.4 billion online from Nov. 1 to Nov. 24, 9.6% more than during the same period last year. Adobe predicted an 8.4% increase for the full season. Despite the early sales, better bargains are coming with Black Friday, according to Adobe. Analysts consider the five-day Black Friday weekend, which includes Cyber Monday, a key barometer of shoppers' willingness to spend for the rest of the season. Vivek Pandya, the lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said shoppers are paying more attention to discounts than last year, and their focus on bargain-hunting will drive what sells and when. For example, Thanksgiving Day is the best time to shop online to get the deepest discount on sporting goods, toys, furniture and appliances, according to Adobe's analysis. But Black Friday is the best time to buy TVs online. People shopping for televisions earlier in the season found discounts that averaged 10.8%, while waiting until this Friday is expected to yield 24% discounts, Adobe Digital Insights said. Cyber Monday, however, is expected to be the best time to buy clothing and gadgets like phones and computers online. Electronics discounts peaked at 10.9% off the suggested manufacturer's price between Nov. 1 and Nov. 24 but are expected to hit 30% off on Cyber Monday, Adobe said. Across the board, Black Friday weekend discounts should peak at 30% on Cyber Monday and then go down to around 15%, according to Adobe's research.