Scarce shoppers | What happened to Black Friday?

Early Friday morning I set off on my annual hunting trip – Black Friday shopping.

Black Friday shopping is a lot like hunting. You pick the right spot and score your prize. Do your research to know who has the best price, and you're ready to go.

I have been Black Friday shopping nearly every year since about 1992. The parking lots are packed, and we stand in line. Most importantly, we have a lot of fun.

I remember one Black Friday morning, I was waiting to be let into Kohl’s. It was cold and raining. I had an umbrella, so I had many friends. Once inside, we stood in line for nearly two hours just to checkout.

As I turned onto Giant City Road to go to Kohl’s on Friday, I saw a new and strange sight. The parking lot was not near its capacity.

I pulled into the parking lot and parked about five spaces from the door.

I have to confess, I wasn’t there at 5 a.m. when they opened. It was about 5:55 a.m.

Inside, they had bargains, and I took advantage of some of them. I got a long-sleeved women’s shirt for less than $6.50, earrings for under $5 and Christmas socks for a little over a dollar. I even walked right up to a cash register without waiting.

Employees of the store said they had people shopping, but they hadn’t had a big rush.

I left Kohl’s and headed to Carbondale’s Walmart. I pulled into the first parking spot near the west door.

In my rearview mirror, I watched two women try to put a large box into a smaller vehicle. When they opened the trunk, it looked full. I got out of my Kia Sorento and walked toward the ladies.

“Do you live in Carbondale?” I asked.

They both said yes.

I offered to take the box home for them. My SUV was nearly empty, and one of the ladies rode with me as I drove the present across town to her home. She got out and unloaded the box. It probably took about 15 minutes.

I headed back to Walmart to continue shopping. The crowd was a little larger at the popular store, but nowhere near the numbers of pre-pandemic years.

I walked around the store looking at their sale items. Most of the items had plenty to purchase at about 7:15 a.m. Walmart opened at 6 a.m. They seemed to be out or nearly out of their television special. Toys and other sale items were in the aisles of the store and seemed to have items left.

I grabbed a few things and headed to the checkout. Again, I did not have to wait.

As I headed home about 8 a.m., I wondered, what happened to Black Friday?

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