Do we even care about Black Friday anymore? Shoppers say they’re ‘over it’

Let’s get this over with: The days of Black Friday as the biggest shopping day of the year seem to be in the past.

Shoppers have increasingly moved away from awaking at dawn the day after Thanksgiving to hit big-box retail stores as the growth of online shopping and spread of deals throughout the week — plus negative reactions to its infamously chaotic crowds — cut into what once was the day retail stores could rely on for huge profits in recent years.

“Day after being thankful for things, everyone is pushing and shoving and trampling all over people,” San Luis Obispo resident Sara Ann said. “It’s ridiculous.”

A study released by Accenture Consulting in October found that United States shoppers are more reluctant to hit the stores during peak holiday shopping days like Black Friday and are instead more likely to do their shopping online and year-round.

Fifty-two percent of the survey’s 1,500 respondents said they felt less inclined to shop on Black Friday this year.

Of those, around two-thirds said they were discouraged from venturing out because of the notorious hordes of shoppers competing for bargains (Wal-Mart tramplings anyone?). The same amount said they already shop for gifts year-round, especially on deal websites and Amazon, which holds it’s annual “Prime Day” with special deals for members in July.

“I learned a long, long time ago that there are never more than a handful of the super-price cut items, and it’s really about getting you in a fever pitch to make those impulse buys and way overspend,” Atascadero resident Barbara Benoit Zabala said Wednesday.

Zabala said the last time she went Black Friday shopping was 10 years ago, but the chaos of that trip was so much that she hasn’t wanted to go back since.

“It was a madhouse of stressed, frenzied, rude people,” she said. “I got home and realized how much extraneous spending I’d done and kicked myself! Vowed not to get caught up in the madness of consumerism again. Now I spend on shared experiences, bake, handcraft.”

Jill Standish, senior managing director and head of Accenture’s retail division, said though shoppers are changing how they view holiday shopping, Black Friday can still pack a punch if retailers also evolve with the times.

“Black Friday will continue to be a part of the holiday tradition, but consumer habits are changing,” she said. “Black Friday still provides a social, fun event for the day. Retailers can stand out by doing more than just discounting. Events, classes, runway shows, etc., could be ways to lure consumers to come to their stores to enjoy some social shopping.”

This also means focusing on what sets your brand apart from others — and embracing that year-round, she said.

“We believe there is a prize for retailers that identify their purpose, organize around experiences, make use of advanced technology, focus on being local and personal, reconsider their structure and re-imagine their processes,” she said. “That will ensure consumers will shop from you regardless of what day of the year it is, but they may very well also shop on Black Friday.”

This story was originally published November 23, 2017 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Do we even care about Black Friday anymore? Shoppers say they’re ‘over it’."