Some Wisconsinites rethink Black Friday as deals go digital

Wisconsinites rethink Black Friday as deals go digital

Black Friday is still the biggest shopping day of the year, but experts say crowds and chaos have shifted online, changing longtime traditions and stretching deals across an entire week.

MILWAUKEE - If you remember packed parking lots, long lines and all-night camping, Black Friday doesn’t look quite the same anymore.

What we know:

Experts say it is still the biggest shopping day of the year, but instead of retail workers bracing for in-store chaos, much of the battle has moved online.

Local perspective:

For families like Janiie Todd’s, Black Friday was once about more than just the deals.

"After we’d eat, we would go straight to the mall and wait outside until they opened. That was always the best part," said Todd.

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It was a long-standing Thanksgiving tradition.

"We’d go inside and get all the good deals. Or we’d usually try to get to Walmart first because that’s usually the most chaotic one," she said.

But the crowds, the chaos and the overnight campouts no longer define Black Friday the way they once did.

"Don’t think it’s the same anymore," Todd said.

What they're saying:

So what changed? Brian Jacobsen with Annex Wealth Management says the pandemic accelerated a shift that was already underway.

"People just got more comfortable shopping online. Retailers got more comfortable with different delivery, pickup," Jacobsen said. "Some of the surveys suggest that about 60% of shoppers this holiday season will be doing it online, and only about 40% are going to be doing it in person."

Todd says she has seen the impact firsthand as a retail worker.

"I am a retail worker, so I’ve seen firsthand how online shopping has killed the small stores that people go to every year," she said.

Experts say shoppers also have more time to hunt for deals, with sales spread out well beyond a single day.

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"No longer about just that one day — getting the deal," Jacobsen said. "In fact, some people refer to instead of Cyber Monday, it’s a whole cyber week."

As for whether the deals measure up to the past, Todd remains unconvinced.

"[I] don’t think the deals are as good as they used to be in the past," she said.

Dig deeper:

Another big shopping day is the Saturday before Christmas, also known as Super Saturday. Experts say that's another chance to score some deals.