BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Despite chilly temperatures, Black Friday shoppers flocked to stores, though many noticed fewer crowds compared to previous years as shopping habits continue to evolve.
Jana Berry and her daughter started their Black Friday shopping at 10 a.m., beginning at Vans before heading to the mall. Berry has observed significant changes in Black Friday shopping patterns over recent years.
"Black Friday experience, for the last few years has been centered toward online, and I kind of feel like it's coming back to the you know, in store. I saw a lot of stores were doing, you know, line up outside and get a goodie bag or whatever. And I like that," Berry said.
Many shoppers now use Black Friday as an opportunity to compare in-person versus online deals. Rishika Avvari prefers to evaluate where she can get the most value for her money.
"Same deals in person, but then if you, like, buy, like, $40 worth of stuff online, then you get, like, a free gift versus you don't in person," Avvari said.
She enjoys testing products in stores before making online purchases.
"Nice to, I go into stores and, like, see what I like, so I, like, went and I, like, tried a bunch of products. So I have a good idea of what I want to buy. But yeah, I'll probably just do the bulk of my shopping online," Avvari said.
Avvari has also noticed generational shifts in Black Friday shopping behavior.
"When I was in high school, everybody would go shopping, whereas, like, now I think most of my friends are just shopping from home. I have some people who enjoy shopping, so they'll go out in person," Avvari said.
Eddie Fernandez drove from Tehachapi to the Tejon Outlets with his family. He typically works during Black Friday but was grateful to spend time with his family this year.
"I've been coming here for a while now. It's a great place to come and shop. As you can see, it's quite busy. And usually I come in at the early hours, and it's nice and easy going, so I like the experience," Fernandez said.
Nearly 187 million people are expected to shop between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
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