Fear of Trump tariffs drive shoppers for Black Friday deals
In an effort to score a few Black Friday deals, Teagan Hickson walked into a Walmart Supercenter in Fort Wayne, Indiana, while blowing off the snowflakes from her hair. A $50 pallet stacked high with Gourmia digital air fryer ovens was the first item the mother of two noticed.
She claimed that her sister Jordan had always wanted one, but all of her family’s resources are currently insufficient. After reading Facebook posts about price increases if President-elect Donald Trump’s planned tariffs go into effect in January, she became concerned about her expenses for the following year.
“I’m trying to not spend too much”, said Hickson, 43. “I don’t want to add to my credit cards, but I don’t want to pay more for stuff next year”.
Some stores attracted large crowds of shoppers as American stores reopened after the Thanksgiving holiday. People frequently compared the Black Friday discounts offered by stores to those of their online competitors for comparable goods.
Weighing on the minds of many Americans: Should prices rise in 2025 as a result of Trump’s move to implement , new tariffs on some US imports, consumers like Hickson could feel the impact at grocery stores and restaurants, potentially driving up their living costs.
Hickson called her husband Josh at the Walmart because he was home and occupied with comparing the prices in the store to those available online.
“Baby, this looks pretty nice”, she told Josh. “What’s it online”? Josh discovered a comparable model on Amazon a few seconds later for twice the price. She grabbed a box, put it in her cart, and headed deeper into the big-box store.
Walmart, which operates , 4, 700 US stores, this year is offering a variety of deals on Samsung TVs, Dyson vacuum cleaners, Lego and Hot Wheels toys, Levi’s jeans, and air fryers, although its pre-Black Friday discounts began on November 11.
Cristal Lopez was shopping for her two children in a North Bergen, New Jersey, Walmart Supercenter while pushing a cart full of clothing and a few sling tote bags through the aisles. She continued, “I find the prices to be pretty much the same as last year,” adding that she still needed to finish her holiday shopping list. She intends to spend $1, 000 to $2, 000 total – same as last year – mostly on clothing.
According to projections from Adobe Analytics, shoppers were expected to make more purchases online on Friday, with purchases of $10.8 billion, up nearly 10% from the same period last year.
According to Adobe’s analysis of online retailers’ prices, customers looking to upgrade their TVs may find the best deals on Friday. Discounts can reach 24 percent off the list price.
Spontaneous purchases
Still, the US retail trade group, the National Retail Federation, expects roughly 85.6 million shoppers to visit stores this year, up from 76 million last year. Shoppers have only 26 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, against a more leisurely 31 days last year.
Adding pressure for retailers is , inflation-fatigued , shoppers’ , reluctance to splurge , unless they get good deals.
“With fewer days to shop, consumers are more likely to make spontaneous purchases, contributing to retail growth during the holiday season”, said Marshal Cohen, chief retail adviser at Circana, a research firm.
Evelyn Contre, 49, waited in a 20-person line at a Lululemon store with her two daughters. Before heading into Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday, Contre had already browsed the websites of Abercrombie &, Fitch, and Lululemon’s websites on Thursday for Black Friday deals.
Crowds were sparse early at a Macy’s store in Santa Barbara, California, despite Black Friday discounts reaching 50 percent for home goods and apparel and an early opening of 7am, three hours earlier than typical.
John Dillard, 66, was shopping for Levi’s 504 jeans that he said his daughter had suggested for him. Macy’s was offering them for 40 percent off their usual $60 price. Dillard, a local retiree, said he was planning to attend a holiday party and needed new clothes for the occasion.
Dillard, who said he had already bought men’s dress pants at Macy’s that were discounted to $35 from $95 and a pair of black men’s dress shoes for just $25, said he typically eschews in-store shopping to avoid the crowds. He valued dealing with details because he only intended to spend money on the necessities for the party. “How often am I going to wear these clothes”? he said.
Target reduced prices by $100 on items like the 75-inch Westinghouse TV and the Nintendo Switch gaming console, as well as discounts of more than 50% on Barbie dolls, Keurig coffee machines, and KitchenAid mixers beginning on Thanksgiving and continuing through Saturday.
For Target Circle members, the retailer will be selling a brand-new Taylor Swift Eras Tour book and exclusive Wicked-related merchandise.
“Black Friday is just not what it used to be”, said Hoss Moss, a 58-year-old chef from New Jersey, who stood outside a Target store for the first time in 15 years to buy , Swift’s book , for his teenage daughter.
Source: Aljazeera
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