Perspectives: Black Friday in a Pandemic
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
What happens to Black Friday crowds in a pandemic?Even before the coronavirus pandemic changed everything about, well, everything, Black Friday was already on its last legs. The post-Thanksgiving shopping holiday kept creeping up earlier and earlier. Retailers started opening their stores before dawn on Friday, then at midnight, encouraging shoppers to wait in line for doorbusters before they had even finished digesting their turkey and mashed potatoes. Eventually they threw caution to the wind and started opening on Thursday afternoons, well before most people had gotten a chance to eat dinner at all.
This year, thanks to the...
From the Center
Retailers hurt by coronavirus pandemic set sights on Black FridayRetailers, who took a financial hit because of the coronavirus pandemic and its associated shutdowns, are setting their sights on Black Friday, cautiously hopeful for a day of improved sales.
Businesses are looking to the usual busiest shopping day of the year to boost low sales. But this Black Friday is expected to see more online purchases amid the coronavirus pandemic rather than millions of in-person shoppers.
Many businesses broke from recent years’ traditions of staying open on Thanksgiving and starting Black Friday sales early and instead increased safety...
From the Right
Virus Keeps Black Friday Crowds Thin, Shoppers Shift OnlineThe raging coronavirus pandemic kept crowds thin at malls and stores across the country on Black Friday, but a surge in online shopping offered a small beacon of hope for struggling retailers after months of slumping sales and businesses toppling into bankruptcy.
In normal times, Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year, drawing millions of shoppers eager to get started on their holiday spending.
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