A steady stream of shoppers hauling new TVs made their way out of Bakersfield's big-box stores on Friday, for a busy but calm start to the holiday shopping season.
The day after Thanksgiving — known as Black Friday — is traditionally America's busiest shopping day of the year and though the "holiday" isn't as chaotic as it once was, its once-a-year deals are still pulling people in.
Robert Martinez had just come out of the Best Buy on Rosedale Highway with a brand new 75-inch television, which he and his wife were strapping into the back of his pickup truck.
"I typically do online. Just felt it was gonna be less crazy so I came out," Martinez, 42, said. "I didn't think there was going to be too much foot traffic."
Lines were long inside the big-box retailers at the Northwest Promenade Friday, where nationwide giants like Best Buy, Walmart and Home Depot have locations, and aisles were stuffed with extra stock in anticipation of massive sales.
Stores opened early and plenty of shoppers were there when the doors opened, yet many shoppers arrived later in the day without worrying about missing out.
Martinez said he felt Black Friday had changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people shopping online. The TV and other electronics Martinez bought Friday were likely his last in-person purchases of the day, he said, but he would likely do more shopping online from home.
Todd Millar, 62, also purchased a new TV, but said he wasn't typically a big Black Friday shopper.
"We'll take the TV home and make a few trips to see what else is out there," Millar said.
The Associated Press reported last month the National Retail Foundation was forecasting shoppers will make $979.5 billion to $989 billion worth of purchases in November and December, which would represent a 2.5% to 3.5% increase over the same two-month period a year ago.
However, the $955.6 billion spent during the 2023 holiday shopping season was 3.9% more than in 2022.
This year’s predicted pace is consistent with the average increase of 3.6% from 2010 to 2019. During the coronavirus pandemic, Americans ramped up their spending. Holiday season sales rose 9% in 2020 from the year before, and they soared 12.4% in 2021, according NRF data.
Despite the decline in Black Friday sales, the day is still seen by retailers both large and small as critical for yearly sales.
Black Friday is typically the purview of larger chains that can offer massive discounts on their products, but small businesses have their own day — Small Business Saturday — the following day. Not to be left behind in the shopping frenzy, the Monday after Thanksgiving is known as Cyber Monday, a day for discounts from e-commerce companies.