Vermonters rise early for Black Friday, but encounter sparse lines
Shoppers in Vermont have kicked off their Black Friday shopping as stores have opened their doors with holiday deals.
Early Friday morning, we had the pleasure of speaking with shoppers who expressed their excitement to kick off the holiday season despite the chilly temperatures. The early morning tradition seems to have brought a lot of joy to these shoppers.
A group of people patiently waited outside the Best Buy in Williston for the doors to open at 6 a.m. And as soon as the doors opened, they were able to enter the store.
According to the National Retail Federation, approximately 182 million individuals have plans to shop both in-store and online during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend.
According to some of the individuals we’ve spoken to, they have prior experience with Black Friday shopping, while for others, this is their initial time participating in the event.
“I haven’t actually gone out on Black Friday myself, but I’ve heard some pretty scary stories,” shared a shopper. “I’m surprised there aren’t more people here. Anyway, we’ll see what kind of deals they’ve got. I know my husband is looking for an Xbox controller.”
Another individual mentioned, “I’ve been here when the doors open at five in the morning, so I try to avoid the lines if there are any.”
We spoke with two individuals who both expressed their surprise upon arriving at the store and not encountering a lengthy line to enter.
According to Erin Sigrist, the Executive Director of the Vermont Retail & Grocers Association, Black Friday has been revolutionized by the increasing trend of online shopping. Despite this positive development, Sigrist cautions shoppers about the persistent issue of inflation, which is likely to affect them during this holiday season.
According to Sigrist, retailers are now taking notice of the fact that shoppers are beginning their shopping earlier, which means that the days of seeing discounts of 50% to 75% off are no longer as common as they used to be.
According to Sigrist, retailers are taking steps to adapt to the changing consumer behavior of shopping earlier. As a result, they need to reach out to customers sooner and cannot rely on offering a 50% discount only during the period from October to December.
If you’re not a fan of Black Friday shopping, don’t worry because locally owned stores across the state will have their own deals to offer on Small Business Saturday, according to her.
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