For some, the Christmas season starts right away after Halloween. Others start their Christmas shopping on Black Friday.
Haley Barnes XFM News
Since the start of the pandemic, online shopping has increased in popularity. Last year, the pandemic caused many retailers to go out of business or move their business online. When Black Friday came around, customers only had the option to shop for the sales online. Now that stores are open for customers in-person, how will the turn out be this year?
Ben Stevenson works at Urban Planet in Masonville Mall. Because their store is located inside of a mall, customers come frequently on a daily basis. He suspects that their employees may be dealing with an extra busy Black Friday this year.
“We weren’t open for Black Friday last year so I think the customers will be extra eager to come in to shop for the sales this year.”
Though he adds that it’s unpredictable considering that many people may opt for online shopping nowadays.
Pandemic restrictions have loosened, but store capacity limits are still in place. Whether or not the customer count differs from previous years, the precautionary measures will keep retailers busy. The popular clothing store, Garage will be keeping the limit to 40 people, everyone needs a mask, including in the fitting rooms. In addition to social distancing, there will be additional lines and more certain capacity limits in different areas.
Caroline, an employee at Garage is unsure about what to expect from the customer engagement this year.
“Usually our Black Friday sale is packed and the line goes out the door. The restrictions might be hard to maintain if we are gonna be just as busy.”
Because of the extra measures, the store will be making sure to keep all their hands on deck in order to ensure everyone’s safety.
Stores are traditionally buzzing with customers on Black Friday. It’s safe to say that customers may want to be extra cautious when attending the sales during this year’s pandemic.
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