HONOLULU (KHON2) — Black Friday shopping is in full swing, and has been since October.
Get Hawaii’s latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You
Many retailers began dropping prices as early as October, and despite inflation, the National Retail Federation said people are expected to shop more this upcoming Thanksgiving week than ever before.
Over at Pearlridge Center this weekend, crowds were noticeable and signs were outside nearly every store offering 20 to 85% off merchandise, or enticing customers with buy one get one offers.
“I typically wait for Black Friday shopping because I like the hustle and bustle of the crowds, I’m one of those crazy people,” said shopper Mel Dumalo.
Retail Merchants of Hawaii president Tina Yamaki said the deals started in October this year after Amazon had its Prime Day in October deals, forcing competitors to drop prices well ahead of Thanksgiving.
The prolonged savings is good for shoppers as they have essentially seven weeks of shopping deals before Christmas.
“I know in October, things were starting to be 25% off and now I’m seeing holiday stuff up to 50% off in some stores, and we’re not sure as we get closer to Christmas if it’s going to be better,” said Yamaki.
The days of waiting in line for Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving night are a thing of the past, as most retailers are closed for the holiday. Some will offer doorbusters, but those are still unknown and most malls will open early Black Friday morning.
For those who have been out and about shopping, the deals happening already are good.
“For those people who are waiting and thinking oh, it’s 50% off now I’m gonna wait till it’s 75% off, well, the store might not have it because they’re not bringing in as much as they did prior to the pandemic,” explained Yamaki.
The National Retail Federation said 182 million people plan to do their shopping Thanksgiving weekend, so if crowds aren’t your thing, maybe get an early start.
If you have fear of missing out on the best deal, stores like Target will match the price of a purchased item if it goes on sale through Dec. 24.
Small, local businesses are also dropping prices. Sneaker Rot8tions at Pearlridge Center are doing 10% off everything in store, with select products at 15% off.
“Also, for every 50 dollars you spend, you get a raffle ticket to enter for our $400 store credit promo through the end of Black Friday weekend,” said store manager Allen Sibayan.
Small businesses said they need local support more than ever after inflation has hurt many businesses.
According to Wallethub, Macy’s has the steepest Black Friday discounts at about 58% off.
Stores like Target, Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart were around 27% to 32% savings.
