Black Friday shopping in Salt Lake City is different in 2020

SALT LAKE CITY – Half-empty parking lots, almost no queues and the opportunity to shop at a leisurely pace.

While contrary to most Black Fridays, this was the experience of some Salt Lake area shoppers on Friday mornings in 2020.

“It was pretty awesome,” said Mary Schroeter, who was shopping at TJ Maxx & HomeGoods on Friday morning. “(I) went there and got what I wanted. I mean, there’s no one in line.

Schroeter, who is a regular Black Friday buyer, was surprised by the slow start to the usually hectic day. During the global pandemic, she, like many people, is investigating the number of cars in a store’s parking lot before deciding whether or not to enter.

If there are too many people, she leaves.

Crowds of buyers, who aren’t always attentive to others, are something she does her best to avoid.

“It really depends on who you’re shopping with,” Schroeter said. “I try to keep my distance or back up or I don’t go into an aisle if someone else is there.… I don’t think (shoppers) are really aware once they’re there- down because they think about doing it and getting it. “

With Black Friday generally being the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States, she was sure she would go straight home without setting foot in the store.

Thus, the many free spaces in the parking lot on Friday morning were a surprise.

“Honestly, I… brushed my teeth and threw out some clothes because I was seriously thinking, ‘I’m going to turn around and go home,'” she said.

“When I saw the parking lot when I arrived, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to come in.'”

Safety is important to Schroeter, and after seeing the news of hospitals reaching capacity with COVID-19 patients, she was happy to see other clients wearing masks outside and around others.

Customers at two local Best Buy stores noted much of the same Friday morning, although Best Buy in South Salt Lake had a line up before it opened at 5 a.m. However, no one was left to wait very long in the cold.

Tammy Green and her husband, Larry, were at this Best Buy early Friday. Like other Black Friday shoppers, they were quick to point out that this year had been “not bad”.

Naser Morad, who has lived in the United States for about four years, was shopping for Black Friday for the first time and said it was not what he expected.

“I always heard it was going to be very busy and (there would be) a lot of people, but it wasn’t like that today,” he said. “So I’m glad there aren’t a lot of people, you know, not a lot of traffic.”

Morad and the Greens shared their concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

“We have several family members who have had it,” Tammy Green said. “Some were really sweet, and then we have one that’s been pretty serious. So, it’s scary.”

Morad said his level of concern was somewhere in the middle of the pandemic, saying he was “confused” by the virus.

However, they all believed Best Buy did a good job on Friday, with the Greens saying the store had been “excellent” at keeping customers safe and limiting the potential spread of the virus.

However, not everyone shared their concerns about the pandemic. Christopher Sauer, also a Best Buy buyer, said he hasn’t met anyone who has had the virus, and he thinks the guidelines may be “overkill.”

In addition to COVID-19, another factor that could have kept people at home is the prevalence and ease of shopping online.

Betzy Lopez was shopping at Best Buy in Murray early on Friday and before that she had gone to Walmart, where she was told most of the deals were online.

Both stores were more empty than usual, she said.

For South Town boutiques in Sandy, a slow morning turned into a good turnout in the afternoon, said Kati Price, senior director of marketing at the mall.

“I can’t compare with last year, because life was obviously very different for Black Friday last year,” she said. “But I can compare that to any other Friday, and it’s a wonderful amount of buyers.”

Even in more typical years, Black Friday morning is generally slower for the mall. The pandemic has forced many people to make difficult choices about how they want to balance their health and their leisure life.

“I think a lot of people choose to shop at different times rather than going out on Black Friday,” Price said.

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