Black Friday saw empty stores and fewer shoppers, signaling the death of the shopping bonanza as we know it
Business Insider's Jessica Tyler visited a Target and Best Buy in Westchester, New York, on Black Friday and was amazed by how empty the stores were.
At around 9 a.m., Target was almost empty.
If anything, Tyler said that Target was less crowded than it was on an average day of shopping.
Best Buy was similarly low on shoppers, with a nearly empty parking lot around 8 a.m.
Arrows on the floor to coral customers seemed pretty unnecessary.
According to Tyler, there were less than 10 people waiting to check out, and five or six registers were open.
Other people around the country expressed shock on social media at surprisingly empty stores on Black Friday.
Holy spitsnacks, Sears is EMPTY, YO! #BlackFriday pic.twitter.com/GkEsEqa06J
— A ILL REINDEER named Dan Grote (@danielpgrote) November 23, 2018Far-from-full parking lots were a common sight.
#BlackFriday #Traffic:#FloridaMall is looking..... empty. #ILike pic.twitter.com/AMjin2H4SD
— Trooper Steve (@TrooperSteve_) November 23, 2018Indian Mound Mall was so empty on the morning of Black Friday that one person joked "a tumbleweed just rolled by."
The Indian Mound Mall at 8 am on #BlackFriday.
A tumbleweed just rolled by. 😱 pic.twitter.com/iqhD3ZLoLV
And, an empty lot can signal a drop in foot traffic that is clear even without entering stores.
Check out the empty parking lots here! Air1 over the Altamonte Mall! #blackFriday pic.twitter.com/ds8HipawZ8
— News 96.5 (WDBO) (@news965wdbo) November 23, 2018"Proof that traditional line’em up #BlackFriday is dead. Where are all the people?" NPD analyst Stephen Baker tweeted.
Proof that traditional line’em up #BlackFriday is dead. Where are all the people? #zombieapocalypse #NPDHoliday pic.twitter.com/XKZyNLwySO
— Stephen Baker (@NPDSteveBaker) November 23, 2018Not every store was empty on Black Friday.
But, the data shows that the empty stores weren't a fluke. As customers increasingly shop online, Black Friday is no longer the crowded shopping day it used to be.
Read more on Black Friday 2018:
- Stores like Walmart, Lowe's, and J.Crew have a new nightmare for Black Friday — and it signals a fundamental shift in how we shop
- I visited Target and Best Buy on Black Friday — and I couldn't believe how empty they were
- Thanksgiving is killing Black Friday by replacing it
- Black Friday deals sold out at stores like Walmart and Target before Friday even began — and people are furious
- Macy's, Best Buy, Kohl's, and JCPenney are being slammed for being open on Thanksgiving — and some people are threatening not to shop with them this holiday season
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