Black Friday shopping could look very different this year

Doors bursting open at stores. Crowds spilling into the aisles. Elbows brushing up against others. Products flying off shelves. These are the hallmark images of Black Friday.

Well, they were.

That was before the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the nation. Now, the future of the biggest shopping discount day of the year is unknown.

YES, IT WILL STILL HAPPEN

For many, shopping on the day after Thanksgiving is a tradition. Historically, it’s also one of the best days of the year to save money on big-ticket items like electronics and appliances.

But with social distancing the norm, it’s hard to imagine shoppers camping out on the sidewalk next to one another this year ahead of Nov. 27. It’s even more difficult to picture stores overflowing with excited shoppers.

Retail experts believe Black Friday will still happen in 2020, despite the pandemic. But there’s no disputing the fact that it won’t be a traditional experience.

“Being there at the crack of dawn, waiting in lines, the hustle and bustle in the store — that’s probably not going to exist,” says Jane Boyd Thomas, a professor of marketing at Winthrop University in South Carolina who has done research about Black Friday.

SALES WILL SHIFT FURTHER ONLINE

For years, Black Friday has shifted to online channels, merging with Cyber Monday into a weekend-long event. The pandemic is set to further cement that transition.

After months of shelter-in-place orders, consumers have become more comfortable shopping from home. That will likely lead to an increase in online Black Friday purchases this year, says Dora Bock, associate professor of marketing at the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University in Alabama.

But the changes could go a step beyond that. COVID-19 has illuminated failings in the supply chain,...