Black Friday is known for packed malls in the wee hours of the morning, crazy long lines, and of course good deals. However, with this whole climate that we are living in this year, with the pandemic, it brings up the question of if black Friday will happen, in person, and what it will look like.
Obviously, if it does happen it is going to look much different than previous years, as stores will have to monitor how many people are in the store at a time, monitor social distancing, clean dressing rooms in between use, and some stores are even attempting to quarantine items for twenty-four hours that have been touched if there’s not a way to immediately clean them, like steaming.
Another factor is staffing, as some retailers are still doing hazard pay, which could lead it being more expensive to be open. In addition, a lot of stores have a high quantity of staff working on black Friday due to the volume, but with possible capacities in stores, that could lead to very few customers with a lot of staff.
As of right now, no major retailer has announced that they will be closed for in-person shopping. However, once a major retailer does decide to close for in-person shopping, or open, it will be interesting to see what other companies follow what lead. There is hesitation with being the first company to take a stance, and being the first and getting judgement for whatever decision is made.
Comment any guesses in the comment section!