As holiday shopping approaches, some businesses are putting Black Friday in the backseat
Heather Bushman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Updated 5 min read
Flashing neon signs promising deals, deals, deals. Star-studded advertisements urging you to grab the hot-ticket item before it’s gone for good. Holiday music floating through the radio to remind you that, yes, it’s almost the end of November already.
Traditionally, everyone has tried to tell you something, and all signs point to Nov. 24. Years past would suggest you circle the date in red — or, black — marker, lest you miss on the biggest shopping opportunity of the year.
But times are changing, and some trends indicate this year’s Black Friday could look a little different.
Though some studies suggest this year’s Black Friday sales could break records, experts say the biggest shopping event of the year may not be so big anymore. Major retailers and small businesses alike are pulling their focus away from Black Friday blowouts to instead focus on unique gifts and stellar customer service throughout the season.
Shopping recently at Garden Argosy on beautiful St. Armands Circle, is Alexa Lebo along with her dad Kevin Lebo, left, with the family, on vacation from Massachusetts, making it their 25th year visiting Sarasota. Alexa not a big fan of Black Friday but will shop online for some of the deals.
With changes in consumer habits and online shopping spiking in popularity, doorbuster deals and early opening hours likely won’t entice shoppers to queue outside major retailers like they did years ago. Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Forecasting, said the modern buyer is drawn to stores that offer an ambiance and quality customer service in addition to just products.
“People don’t want to just go into a giant rectangle,” Snaith said. “If you’re going to go shopping in person, there’s got to be an experience that comes with it.”
It’s why stores like Garden Argosy, a gift and souvenir shop that’s spent the last 26 years on St. Armand’s Circle, are all about the ambiance.
It’s a wonder emporium with color around every corner, with products made largely by local artisans and vendors. Glass art, custom soap scents, and toys for the kids — the classic ones, yo-yos and Jacob’s Ladder — fill the shelves.
Every item, store manager Jacob Riley said, is a conversation starter. How it was made, he said, is part of its charm.
“It’s not just ‘out of a shop, here it is,’” Riley said. “You always want to have a story behind it.”
Garden Argosy, and local businesses like it, will skip the Black Friday blowout in favor of business as usual, save for extended hours during the holiday season. The store will also run a 25 Days of Christmas series, with a different event on display from Dec. 1 to Dec. 25.
Salty Stitch, a coastal apparel shop also located in St. Armand’s Circle, will take a similar approach. Owner Lindsey Klentzin said the store is stocked with merchandise in anticipation of the higher flow of customers and the 25% off storewide sale it will run throughout the season.
“Anytime there’s a holiday break, it’s always busier,” she said. “You just be ready.”
'Not holding back'
Also recently shopping was Sophie Stanton, of Michigan, at Salty Stitch located on beautiful St. Armands Circle. Sophie also not a big fan of Black Friday but will also shop online too for some of the deals.
For local businesses, Black Friday isn’t as essential to sales as the season at large is. As for Black Friday’s relevance nationwide, competing trends suggest it’s unclear.
On one hand, statistics from the National Retail Federation predict more than 130 million people — or 72% of consumers — will shop during Black Friday both in-person and online, up from 69% last year. Another study from the federation predicts this year’s holiday season could smash spending records, with sales projected at up to $967 billion nationwide and an average of $875 spent per person.
But Black Friday’s status as the single biggest shopping event of the year has slipped as customers continue to court the computer instead of the shopping cart. The retail federation reported that 58% of consumers plan to shop online this year: placing the Internet ahead of department stores, discount stores, and more as the most popular shopping destination.
And they’re starting sooner rather than later, with 43% of consumers saying they begin holiday shopping before November.
The trends have turned Black Friday into more a nostalgia activity than an essential holiday errand, Snaith said.
“There’s still some people that enjoy the bloodsport of Black Friday,” he said. “It still, because of its history, is a thing, and I don’t think it’s going to go away. But it’s certainly not as important as it was.”
It’s why businesses big and small aren’t sweating the day like they once did.
Major retailers have responded by extending their Black Friday deals through the season. Stores like Target and Walmart are already offering discounted prices on big-ticket items like appliances and smart home devices, and national retail chain Bealls is gearing all its efforts toward holiday sales through December.
Tianne Doyle, president of Bealls Inc., said the corporation will take a conservative approach to this year’s Black Friday and focus on sales throughout the season. Though Bealls and Bealls Florida will staff its stores heavier than usual and extend its hours, Doyle doesn’t predict lines around the block.
The company, like other major retailers, has instead already started rolling out its holiday deals. With consumers kickstarting the holiday season sooner and sooner each year, Doyle said Bealls’ early holiday launch allows them to keep up.
“People are saying, ‘Oh yeah, we put up our Christmas tree last week,’” she said. “We’re not holding back and waiting for Black Friday.”
Contact Herald-Tribune Growth and Development Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @hmb_1013.
