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KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOSAbove, the Home Depot at the Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta is shown on Black Friday. Below, shoppers leave the Goleta Best Buy with a flat screen TV.
Early morning Black Friday shopping crowds decreased significantly compared to recent years. Local retail stores experienced early morning crowds of only dozens, while some retailers opted to shut down completely on Black Friday.
The Goleta Best Buy opened at 5 a.m., long before sunrise (6:42 a.m.). Approximately a dozen shoppers were inside before 7 a.m., but the barricades that were erected on Thanksgiving were already put away by workers before that time. This is a far cry from pre-pandemic times, where crowds lined up the night before and isles only served to break up universally frenzied shoppers. Deals included a 60” Samsung TV at $400 and a 40” Hisense at $100, both $150 off the original price. Despite the early morning lag, crowds increased around mid-morning with around 50-60 customers and buzzing foot traffic.
At Home Depot, shoppers were greeted by a worker offering a flier and a table full of snacks like fruit and grain bars, apples, bananas and bottled water. Shoppers were a mix of morning regulars, including independent construction workers, carpenters, painters, contractors and home improvement small business owners getting supplies for their ongoing projects, while others were grabbing power tools like table saws, cordless drills and other tools that are discounted for Black Friday weekend. Deals included a Whitlock Fire Pit at $100, originally $229, and a Husky 18V 10” chain saw at $88, originally $119.
Shoppers leave with a flat screen TV at the Best Buy electronics store in Goleta on Black Friday on Friday, November 25, 2022. (Kenneth Song/News-Press) The Best Buy in Goleta opened its doors at 5 a.m. for Black Friday.Target opened an hour early at 7 a.m., but the morning crowds were the same as ever. Black Friday deals included a 65” TV that was $229.99 after a $400 discount. Christmas trees were also discounted.
Big 5 Sporting Goods opened at 6 a.m. with more than a dozen shoppers. Some shoppers clutched the well-known weekly full-page Big 5 newspaper ads, the Thanksgiving holiday edition. The workers inside were kept busy at the cash register, gun counter, shoe section and other departments. Deals included a 24” queen air mattress at $40 and Airtact .177, .22, or .25 caliber break barrel air rifles at $89, both at $70 off the original price.
Outdoor Retailer REI Co-Op, has launched an alternative approach to Black Friday, which they are calling the “Opt Outside Movement,” closing all locations on black frida.
The Big 5 Sporting Goods store at the Five Points Shopping Center in Santa Barbara, also shown right, opened its doors at 6 a.m.“For this Black Friday, and every Black Friday in the future, the co-op will forgo profits and sales at all locations, and instead pay its more than 16,000 employees to enjoy time outside. Since 2015, REI has closed its doors on Black Friday — inviting employees and members to spend time outside rather than shopping. Over the years, Opt Outside has evolved from a response against consumerism to a movement that has advocated for causes important to the co-op,” REI announced in a press release on October 4th. “This year will mark the shift of Opt Outside to an ongoing, permanent, employee benefit … From this year on, all stores, distribution centers, activity centers, call centers and headquarters will close every Black Friday.”
Eric Artz, President and CEO of REI Co-op, said in a press release: “Making Opt Outside an annual observance will serve as a yearly reminder of this commitment to doing the right thing for the co-op community.”
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
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