“They’re so cordial this year,” Tameka, a BestBuy manager, said as she passed out bright green sheets of paper filled with door busters and midnight-timed deals to the over 400 patrons in line. “This is the best crowd I’ve had in years. Everybody, from the front to the back, is being so nice. I think cold weather is making them be quiet.” It was unseasonably cold in Memphis, and at 6 o’clock the temperatures were well below freezing. “We’ve actually got the A/C on inside,” she said. “It’s going to be hot once everyone rushes inside.”
This year as crowds gathered in the dark outside of BestBuys, Targets and Walmarts across the country, their yawns were more likely from their recent turkey dinner than an early wake-up. In a break from tradition, American big box stores opened their doors and started deals on Thanksgiving itself. Despite Thanksgiving Day lead-up sales online and non-expiring door-busters across the slate, Black Friday numbers were up only 1.9% over last, well below the predict 3.0% climb.
At the BestBuy in Suburban Memphis, most were patrons were in line for opening hour deals at 6 p.m. While the store had multiple TV deals, the most popular was a 39-inch Insignia Smart TV. Those who weren’t looking for TV’s came in search of the two new gaming systems that came out in November, Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4. Sam, who was at the front of the line and had been waiting for five hours, had his sights on an Xbox One. “I called them yesterday and they said they only had five. I’ve never been to this BestBuy, so I asked a manager for a map,” he said. Nick’s mom Susan, who had been to the same BestBuy last year for a refrigerator deal, said that the crowds looked to be about the same as last year, but were more docile. “Last year there was almost a fight, it feels a lot safer today,” she said.
While Target did not open until 8 p.m., its line was almost as long as BestBuy’s. The women of the Stewart family, a team of five who had gone to Walmart for the last 6 years, said they were looking forward to less hectic shopping. Betsy, who was the matriarch of the group, said that Walmart Black Friday had become to stressful. “We do this for the bonding and the deals,” she said. “Walmart became so competitive that we stopped having fun.” While the women were looking to participate mostly in general deals, they said they could be lured by a deal on a 24 inch TV for Betsy.
The Memphis police officers I talked to said that while Target and BestBuy crowds had never caused problems, Walmarts in the area were infamous for rowdy crowds. The officers recommended that I go to a Walmart in a less affluent area to see true Black Friday crowds. Upon arrival at a Walmart on the edge of town, I found that cop cars and a SWAT van blocked the entrance. Although I asked the police officers if I could enter, I was denied and turned away.
Back at BestBuy, Tameka was positive. “I think we could have a really good Christmas season,” she said. “We had to install extra fences for crowds this year, and the line has surpassed what we were expecting.” Although initial sales were not initially as high as Tameka predicted, there is still time for retailers to recover. “I do all my shopping on Cyber Monday,” she said. “I don’t like being in the crowd.”
Andrew is junior majoring in PR and Journalism. He can be reached at [email protected]
