Going shopping in Merced on Black Friday? Here’s what to expect at stores during COVID-19
“Black Friday” will look a lot different this year with large crowds and gatherings being discouraged due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Merced County is in the purple tier of coronavirus business restrictions, which means retailers can only be open at 25% capacity. And with a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., many stores are not staying open all night like in years past, or even past 10 p.m.
Many retail stores have been doing their part to thin the crowds by expanding their “Black Friday” deals all month long. Some are only offering online deals for some of their most desired items.
Will there still be crowds?
“No, Black Friday I don’t think is going to be at all what it was in the past,” said Jeff Green, a retail consultant with Phoenix-based Hoffman Strategy Group.
Merced Mall
Most big-box stores are staying closed on Thanksgiving Day – another change from years past.
They will open early Friday, however.
Five stores in the Merced Mall will be opening early on Friday. Kohl’s and Aeropostale will open at 5 a.m. J.C. Penney and Bath & Body Works will open at 6 a.m. and Children’s Place will open at 8 a.m.
The rest of the stores in the Merced Mall will open at 9 a.m., according to Nanette Villegas, who is the Merced Mall Marketing Manager.
Some of the stores adjusted their opening times after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the curfew for counties in the purple tier.
Just how many shoppers will show up isn’t clear.
Nationwide, 54% of people plan to shop less in stores this year compared to previous years, according to a survey by SecurityNerd.com.
But another big reason people may stay home has nothing to do with coronavirus. Black Friday crowds have been shrinking for years, noted Green.
“It’s been shifting for a while as Black Friday sales come earlier in November,” he said. “Even in the last several years, you haven’t seen the Black Friday rush that you saw years before.”
This year, masks are required inside Merced businesses.
The Merced Mall will have sanitizer stations and there will be people at the mall’s two entrances counting how many people enter and leave. That’s to ensure the mall doesn’t exceed 25% capacity, according to Villegas.
Friday also marks Santa Claus’ arrival at the Merced Mall. Santa Claus will be arriving at 1 p.m. in the Center Court.
The Santa Claus experience will be different this year due to the pandemic. There will be a virtual photo option for people, who feel uncomfortable taking photos with Santa Claus in-person.
The virtual option is available Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and those spots can be reserved at https://amusemattebooksanta.com/merced-mall/.
In-person photos with Santa Claus will be socially distant with children sitting on a bench several feet in front of Santa.
Black Friday 2020: Safety and Sales
If you do go out shopping, bring your patience.
“Be prepared to wait and be prepared to to wait outside,” said Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst with DealNews.com, a shopping comparison website that has tracked Black Friday deals for years.
You also may not find some of the great deals of years past in stores. Big retailers have moved some of them online to avoid being besieged by crowds, she said.
Walmart, for example, is offering deals on books, movies and music in stores, but it’s only offering some of its big savings on TVs and laptops online, she noted.
Best Buy, where shoppers usually line up a day beforehand, is only selling certain highly anticipated gaming consoles on its website, not in stores, to avoid lines.
“I think this year more than ever, there’s not really any reason to shop in person,” Ramhold said. “A lot of retailers have made a big push to put deals online, and a lot of retailers have made some of the best deals online only.”
She also recommends shoppers jump on those deals because they won’t last.
How to avoid crowds
If crowds aren’t your thing, skip Black Friday shopping in person entirely and go online. Curbside pick up and in-store pick are offered at many big stores.
If you still need to shop in person during the holiday season, pick a slow time, Green said.
Fashion Fair’s busiest times are between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noted Brian Malony, senior manager, marketing. Many mall stores also offer curbside pickup.
“If you’re worried about crowds … usually the slowest part of the shopping season is the second week of December,” he said. “That would probably be the optimal time to shop when it would be less crowded.”
