Black Friday 2020: smaller crowds under control in the coronavirus era (photos)

Update at 6 p.m.: Black Friday crowds escalated after a quiet morning in Destiny USA

In the ninth month of the coronavirus pandemic, shoppers still walked out on Black Friday, but holiday crowds were small and moderate.

Destiny USA is the sixth largest shopping mall in the country. Black Friday is usually the busiest day of the year, but only a handful of people waited outside various stores to open at 6 a.m.

Six people lined up at the Lego store. Four waited for the opening of PINK by Victoria’s Secret. Three lined up in front of Abercrombie & Fitch. Security guards stood at the gates to enforce mask-wearing policies.

Shopper Dawn Bennett said she’s not worried about Covid-19 at Destiny USA because she plans to ‘get in and out’ quickly.

“I got what I came for,” said Bennett, who carried a Toshiba TV.

The crowd was slightly larger at Target in Fairmount. Almost 40 shoppers lined up outside the store before the doors opened at 7 a.m. But a Target employee said the Black Friday line has typically snaked throughout the store in previous years.

“Most people have come in to get a Playstation or an Xbox,” the employee said. “We don’t have a lot of publicity this year because of Covid, so people wouldn’t go out as much.”

Experts said shopping in person during the pandemic was not a good idea at all. But the stores are definitely open on Black Friday. Even though parts of Onondaga County, including Destiny USA, are in a coronavirus orange zone, there are no additional restrictions for retailers.

If you plan on shopping for Black Friday, bring your mask and stay away from others as much as possible. If you stop at a store and see a large crowd, experts suggest coming back later or shopping online.

Experts warn that Covid-19 is likely to continue to spread as cold weather sets in. Onondaga County Health Commissioner Dr Indu Gupta urged people to self-isolate if they feel sick – and to encourage their contacts to self-quarantine – even before being tested for coronavirus results.

“(The) health of the community is literally in your hands,” Gupta said.

Later on Black Friday, the crowds at Destiny USA had grown significantly. Every table in the mall’s courtyard was full by dinner time.

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