Black Friday arrives as coronavirus surges. Here are your holiday shopping options
Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, is here. But COVID-19 infections are surging and unemployment insurance for many families is waning. It adds up to the most confusing and uncertain holiday shopping season anyone has experienced.
What will shoppers do?
With infections spiking, health officials say they prefer people stay home and treat Black Friday more like Cyber Monday by shopping online. That way the public isn’t hit with a double whammy of increased infections at Thanksgiving family gatherings followed by wider spread on Friday as people who don’t know they are infected rub elbows with others in stores.
“We have the same concerns (for Black Friday) as Thanksgiving, that people will be crowding to get deals,” Sacramento County Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said. “Our request is that they focus on online deals and not venture out to stores.”
The retail industry, which has taken a hit during the pandemic, is saying that shopping this holiday season does not have to be risky if store owners, mall managers and customers all play by safety rules.
Current state rules in most counties require stores to limit customers at any one time to 25% of store capacity. The state requires people in public places to wear masks and practice social distancing.
Arden Fair and other malls say they have extensive cleaning protocols in place. Even Santa will be wearing a mask and will be taking gift requests from a safe 6-foot distance during his visits at Arden Fair. Families will need to make reservations in advance to see him.
Arden Fair and Westfield Galleria at Roseville are promoting holiday festivities and entertainment at malls in hopes of enticing people with an immersive holiday experience at a time when the public is being told not to have home holiday gatherings.
Despite COVID-19, holiday sales should be solid, said economist Jeffrey Michael, head of the Center for Business and Policy Research at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. That’s partly because consumers have not been spending money on other items, such as vacations and restaurant meals.
“I think many consumers are in good shape to spend pretty big on gifts this year — in part because their spending on restaurants, travel and experiences will be down — which are other sectors that tend to see strong holiday sales,” Michael said. “Most households have actually increased their savings during the pandemic, and many will be even more interested in big gift giving to compensate for other things they have been missing.
Some stores will open Friday as early as 5 a.m. to spread shoppers out throughout the day, and many intend to be open until 10 p.m., when the state’s COVID-19 curfew kicks in.
Westfield Galleria at Roseville website has installed a meter at the top of its home page that shows how crowded the mall is in real time, allowing potential shoppers to show up when crowds are thin. Most retailers will offer curbside pickup, and some will deliver.
Arden Fair official Nathan Spradlin said portions of the center have created one way paths of travel. But he warns consumers that some stores may have lines at the front door.
That could present stores and their customers with the temptation to put convenience and speed ahead of safety.
“It will be very interesting to see how strongly the 25% capacity rules will be enforced,” economist Jeff Michael said. “I expect the number of people wanting to shop on Black Friday, despite Covid, will far exceed those limits.”
“Personally, I am staying away and hope others do too – this is the year to be safe and shop on-line as much as possible.”
An alternative shopping philosophy is gaining strength this year: The “shop local” movement asks residents to skip the chain stores and Amazon deliveries and instead support hard-hit small businesses in their communities.
“Shopping local is the only way we can ensure our local businesses are with us on the other side of this pandemic,” said Emily Baime Michaels of the Midtown Association in Sacramento. By shopping local, more than two-thirds of every dollar spent stays in the community, she said, much more than when a shopper buys at at a big-box outlet or from out of the region.
With that in mind, some small local retailers are offering reservations for in-store visits and free local delivery. Acheson Wine Company in Midtown is among them, offering free delivery within five miles of the winery and 19th and Q streets.
“We did that to encourage people to stay home, and we’ve stuck with that model,” said Jared Gallegos, general manager. The winery has an on-site to-go window as well. It sells reusable wine bottles that are then filled on-site via tap. On Friday and weekend days, Gallegos suggests shoppers make a reservation first.
Similarly, Central City Sacramento businesses are participating in a national Small Business Saturday event the day after Black Friday.
Sanjay Varshney, a professor of finance at Sacramento State University, said most economic signals suggest that Black Friday will be less important this year to both shoppers and retailers than normal. “It’s more of a (shopping) season now,” Varshney said.
Even before COVID-19 hit this year, shoppers had been going online to buy holiday gifts and stores had adapted by focusing more on online sales, offering holiday deals over the course of weeks.
Varshney said many people who have maintained jobs or regained work have money to spend. But, he said, consumer confidence is weaker than normal, and many people who have been on unemployment are now losing that support, and will be worried about their personal finances heading into the holidays.
“We’re now seeing a slowdown again in the economy,” he said. “Will we see a new (federal economic) stimulus approved? Those questions still need to be answered.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2020 at 5:00 AM.