Black Friday goes primarily virtual as pandemic puts limits on in-person shopping

With the pandemic putting a limit on in-person Black Friday shopping, shoppers can still make the most doorbuster deals without leaving their couch.

News 12 Staff

Nov 27, 2020, 6:47 PM

Updated 1,466 days ago

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With the pandemic putting a limit on in-person Black Friday shopping, shoppers can still make the most doorbuster deals without leaving their couch.
When looking for the best deals, it's important to plan ahead. Some items, like the Fitbit Charge on sale on Amazon, may be out of the stock now, but they can be preordered at a lower price to ship later.
It's also worth cross checking retailers selling the same items to get the best price. For instance, the Roomba iRobot is on sale for $199 on the Roomba direct site, but it's selling for $179 at Target.
Many retailers are planning to continue their sales for the next few days. So, if you can't grab the price you want now – like the now sold out Nintendo Switch from Walmart – hitting refresh later might do the trick.
Macy's is one of many department stores making it easier to shop online this year.
Macy's Division Vice President Kathy Hilt says customers "can either buy online, pick up in store, use our contactless curbside pickup, or use same day delivery to have it sent to their home so that every gift arrives just in time."
In 2019, 190 million U.S. consumers shopped from Black Friday to Cyber Monday— three quarters shopped online— according to the National Retail Federation.
With so many Americans under financial stress this year, experts predict a drop in overall spending, but an increase of spending online.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends shipping gifts to your home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19