Black Friday has been a yearly tradition for as long as people can remember. It is when people start their Christmas shopping because these are major deals, many of which are 50% off items. Black Friday takes place on the Friday following Thanksgiving.
When most think of Black Friday they imagine crowed stores, with soccer moms pulling toddlers around trying to get the best deal and grab the last holiday candle before Karen from book club does. The media like to present Black Friday as something chaotic and a time to see middle age moms fight over the 50% off a flat screen TV. But this is not always the case.
But crazy soccer mom Karens are not what people are worried about this year. (Well maybe cashiers are worried about Karens, but that is beside the point.) It is because stores are crowded on this day, and with a global pandemic necessitating we stay six feet apart or more from another person, people are wondering if the day of deals will be taking place this year.
If you were worried, do not fear. Black Friday will still happen but is going to be a bit different then it has been in the past. Some stores like Walmart, Best Buy, Home Depot and many others are planning on having more than one day for Black Friday.
Since normally on this day stores are at maximum capacity and sometimes over, but with COVID-19 stores are not allowed to hit a certain number of customers. Their solution was to let people in on the deals early and let the deals go out longer for a day or two. This allows the process to be fair, plus they will be able to make more sales.
Walmart announced that before you walk into a store, a customer can purchase their items in advance online. Walmart recommended to check there before coming into the store so you can save some time. Items like the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and the Apple Watch 3 will be available online.
But if you do have to go shopping in person, there are new rules that will be in place. Along with there being more then one day, stores will have mask requirements and plastic barricades. You will not be able to storm through doors, and they will be monitoring the size and number of groups that come in. Walmart said their capacity will "only about 20%" on the day.
With a global pandemic, retailers have made it clear they are ready for the Black Friday rush and are hard at work making sure people have a safe and stress-free experience for shoppers who chose to come shop at store locations.
