The Black Friday tradition continues in southwest Florida

The “real” Black Friday lived on in southwest Florida.

At least for some who carry on a time-honored vacation tradition by starting their pre-sunrise shopping in local stores in search of discounts,

More Americans were expected to shop in stores on Friday than last year, one of the quietest Black Fridays in history, due to the pandemic.

While retailers started offering Black Friday deals back in October, the day after Thanksgiving still brought a fair share of bargain-hungry shoppers.

More like that: Black Friday sales are kicking off the Christmas shopping season, but expect to pay more this year

Before: Black Friday is different, but it still brings a new wave of holiday discounts

The first wave started at 5 a.m. with the opening of retail giants like Walmart, Best Buy, and Kohl’s. Several retailers, including Macy’s and Bed Bath & Beyond, opened at 6 a.m., followed by Target and a few others at 7 a.m.

Walmart was one of the few stores to have new deals on Friday.

Despite a quieter Black Friday last year, sales for the holiday season hit a new high, with e-commerce sales topping $ 100 billion for the first time in November.

This year, Christmas sales are expected to “hit record highs across the country,” dwarfing last year’s record, said Scott Shalley, president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation.

This year the National Retail Federation predicts:

• Holiday revenue will reach between $ 843.3 billion and $ 859 billion.

• Sales from November to December will increase between 8.5% and 10.5% year over year.

• Almost 2 million more people will shop from Thanksgiving Day to Cyber ​​Monday than last year.

More Floridians started ticking off their Christmas shopping lists earlier this year, he said, reflecting a national trend driven by consumer concerns about rising prices, product shortages and delivery delays.

For 2021, Shalley had this advice: “If you have something specific for a gift on your mind and see it on the shelf, I would grab it now.”

The story goes on

Same goes for the internet.

“We don’t have overwhelming supply concerns,” Shalley said. “Our business seems to be keeping up, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Didn’t come out on Black Friday? Don’t worry, offers will continue online and in store over the weekend and beyond.

Just hours after Black Friday, Target announced that it would be offering a two-day “Cyber ​​Deals” sale on Sunday and Monday, Cyber ​​Monday, that would run online and on the store’s mobile app.

The best days to shop on Cyber ​​Monday

Black Friday offered the biggest discounts on furniture, bedding, tools, and home improvement items, according to Adobe Analytics. More offers for this weekend:

• Saturday, Small Business Saturday, is a good day for electronics and home appliance discounts.

• Sunday is the best day for clothing and sporting goods.

• Cyber ​​Monday is expected to offer the biggest price cuts on TVs.

The Associated Press and USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared in the Naples Daily News: Black Friday lives on in SWFL as the Floridians go to business early

See similar https://news.yahoo.com/black-friday-tradition-continues-southwest-175855927.html

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