The National Retail Federation estimated about 2 million more people shopping Thanksgiving weekend through Cyber Monday than last year. Two such shoppers were at Best Buy the evening of Thanksgiving. Although Bakersfield residents Gio Gresio and Jackson Dwight are new to the Black Friday game, they followed the playbook of arriving early. They were devoted so the deals that they got there as early as 6 p.m. Thursday.
“That’s why I’m first, That’s why I’m here!” Dwight said, about waiting almost twelve hours before Best Buy was scheduled to open on Black Friday.
Dwight joins the influx of post Thanksgiving weekend shoppers the national retail federation projects to be record-breaking.
“People like going to stores when they’re buying gifts, they like touch and feel product to see it,” National Retail Federation, Senior Director of Industry and Consumer Insights, Katherine Cullen, said.
The NRF’s survey found that 108 million people hope to score deals on Black Friday, 64 percent planning to shop in person, which is up from 51 percent in 2020. For Gresio it’s not a matter of preference, but necessity.
“Usually graphics cards, you can’t find them online, or they’re incredibly hard to get,” Gresio said. “I have a better chance of getting it in-store.”
ACCORDING TO DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AT THE OUTLETS AT TEJON BECCA BLAND -- THAT’S IF YOU CAN EVEN SNAG A PRODUCT ON THE WEB--
“We’re still having trouble getting things shipped in, getting all those products to stores, Bland said. “So, I say this year if you’re going to make it out to Black Friday, this is the year to do it--because you just don’t know how long it is going to take for a product to get to you if you order it online.”
As far as camping out as early as Gresio and Dwight, it depends on the store, according to Bland.
“I say [get there] about 30 minutes early For instance: The Outlets at Tejon opens at 6 am, so you want to get there at about 5:30. That’s a good marker to get some good parking. “If you’re getting to the big box stores, yeah, you may want to get there a few hours early.”
Bland also has these tips for shoppers:
It's normally large stores like an Old Navy or a Pottery Barn Outlet that have up to 75 percent off, versus the boutique stores that have up to 30 to 50 percent off. Therefore, she recommends starting at the big stores with the best deals first.
Bland added that retailers oftentimes have sale information on their website and social media pages. they may even give additional deals when you sign up for their email lists.
