As Black
Friday approaches, the traditional kickoff for the holiday shopping season -
things are changing again - because experts say Black Friday has morphed into
Black November.
News
12’s Andrew Ehinger spoke with retail experts about what shoppers can expect
from stores and how many deals are already being offered.
Marshal Cohen, of the NPD Group, says the pandemic has
shifted a larger amount of shopping online this year. But he says retailers
have been discounting items online ever since Amazon moved “Prime Day” to
October.
“That frenzy that we are used to for Black Friday, that rush
through the stores to get those limited supplies of products – those days are
gone,” says Cohen.
Earlier this year, the pandemic temporarily shut down some
factories worldwide. Chandra Steel, from PCMag.com, says it could cause some
shortages in stores.
“There were delays all around, but some manufacturers have done a good
job in putting enough stock out there, except when it comes to gaming
consoles,” she says.
So far, the PlayStation 5 and new Xbox consoles are almost
impossible to find.
What has not yet been determined is if the pandemic will stop
shoppers from opening up their wallets this holiday season as a second stimulus
bill has yet to materialize.
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