By Hannah Kieffer
Thanksgiving this year looked a little different, but what about Black Friday?
Stores across America had sales throughout the week to deter shoppers, and saw an overall increase of online sales by 22%, compared to last year. About half as many people went shopping in person for Black Friday than last year as well, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Last year, all our Black Friday expectations were for the consumer,” said Jacob Israde, a 19-year-old Grand Rapids Community College student who works at a local retail store. “We were trained and focused to help and supply the large quantity of people and supply the most products out to the floor. This year was completely different, we were focused on shipping products out rather than in person. It was strange honestly. This Black Friday weekend, I was in backroom packing rather than out on the floor helping a guest.”
Many students working in retail had to prepare for a shopping day like no other. Working in malls and major retail stores has been very high stress, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some had assumed there would be a smaller crowd this year, but were surprised to find a crowd of shoppers.
“Our sales last year were around$9,000, and this year they were only six,” said Alexis Wheaton, a 19-year-old Western Michigan University student. “So yes, there were less shoppers, but it was still fairly busy.”
Sales being down for in-person shopping doesn’t mean that shopping is without risk. Wearing a mask in public is still highly important to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“Not as many as you would think (wear masks) and most people will just yell at you then leave when they know they’re not going to win the fight,” said Kailey Byers, a 20-year-old Kalamazoo Valley Community College student. “I’ve been yelled at many times, but it’s a living. Social distancing does not even, it’s not even a thing in the mall. We have signs everywhere of course, but it’s not a thing.”
Stores within malls also have set capacities, only allowing in a few shoppers at a time. Many shoppers found this to be annoying, but it was necessary to maintain safety for shoppers.
“There was definitely the same feeling of busyness with the lower capacity volumes, when there’s only nine people allowed in the store and there’s a line of people outside, it honestly feels like there are way more people than there are,” Byers said.
Rules and regulations are constantly changing right now. It is important to be mindful that many employees are not the ones making the rules. Everyone is trying their best to keep themselves and others safe while shopping. If you know of a business that is not helping to stop the spread of COVID-19, there are many ways to report them on Michigan.gov.
