Shopping for Black Friday deals continues to change
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - "I liked to get the deals, most of the time you could even if you did have to wait a couple of hours in line."
Stores stopped doing that during COVID-19 and this year, the big box retailers still aren't opening on Thanksgiving night.
Vick said, "I do not miss that."
Dr. Venky Shankar, a marketing professor at Texas A&M University, said big box retailers and some department stores aren't opening on Thanksgiving because they've expanded online sales and their employees want to spend the holidays with their families.
"They don't have to overstaff their retail operations with hard-to-find labor at the right prices and at the same time, shoppers are not necessarily waiting for this opportunity to go in and buy," Shankar said.
Even with record inflation this year, the National Retail Federation said it anticipates sales during the holiday shopping season will increase between 6% to 8% over last year.
While online shopping has intensified, some customers told us they still want to go to the stores for the experience.
Vick said, "I do, I love it, I love the rush."
Shankar said another trend this year is that Black Friday deals are starting earlier, with some retailers pushing them last month.
Some shoppers say they've noticed, including Jessica Rugg, who along with her three children, was out at the Galleria in Dallas doing some window shopping. "I think it's nice to get a head start."
"I already bought a brand new tv last week on Amazon."
Shankar said retailers are responding to the challenges facing them.
"We have supply chain issues, we've had inflation this year," Shankar said. "All of these are creating opportunities for retailers to make sure that they have their sales covered and not have to worry about having to wait for Black Fridays or Cyber Mondays to start their sales."
While some things change, some Christmas wish-lists sure don't.
"I want some barbies."
Nine-year-old Jayden Vick said he'd like a new XBox.
Asked if he deserves it, he emphatically shook his head and said "Yes!"