Black Friday Shopping

(Don't mind the background picture of my extended deck. I didn't take pictures of the stores I was in.)

Call me confused.

I'll admit it's been many years since I shopped on a Black Friday. This year, due to a miscalculation on my part I had run out of dog food and sugar on Black Friday. I had no choice but to go out.

At first, I was pleasantly surprised that traffic was so light. On a regular Friday, street traffic is bumper to bumper, and highway traffic (due to major construction) adds another 30-45 minutes to your commute into Dallas. 

Lo and behold it was near empty. 

We stopped at Costco first, and although the parking lot was partially full, inside there was ample room to maneuver around other shoppers. 

Another oddity: I saw a lot of carts with groceries but very few "potential presents". There was one guy with three giant tvs on his flat bed cart, but those were door prizes for his company's Christmas party. Nice company!

We moved on to another grocery store because they had a sale item I wanted to grab. They were nearly empty, but I already knew the reason for that. A few weeks ago, a new grocery store opened up: HEB. That store has been packed every day since the day they opened. 

I'd been looking forward to their opening for months. I was sick and tired of Kroger. Their prices were higher, their registers (accidentally, they say) kept ringing up even higher prices, and their senior staff were disgruntled employees who could only take it out on the customers. I hated going in that store. 

I've been to plenty of grand openings of stores in the past, but I've never seen mobs like this. As of this writing, HEB has been open for at least six weeks, and it's still wall to wall shoppers.

To HEB's credit they control the chaos beautifully. Police are outside to direct traffic, and there are plenty of store personnel to answer questions or help customers. Despite the immense crowds, store employees remain cheerful and helpful. That surprises me most of all. Even six weeks in, they're still accommodating.

HEB's main claim to fame is how they help the community. They regularly supply food banks for those in need. They're also first on the line to provide food and supplies during emergencies and natural disasters. For these reasons alone, I will gladly shop there even when they're not running a sale. I like a company that supports its community.

We've only been there a few times to shop and compare. For me, the produce section is the best part. Prices are reasonable, produce is fresh and the selection is vast. I like that they also have a few ethnic choices too.

Meat is about the same price as everywhere else, but I think Costco still has them beat on flavor/tenderness.  

We moved on to Lowes for something Greg needed. This store was brand new too, but their grand opening was a bit lackluster. Still, the employees are cheerful and helpful. On Black Friday, the employees outnumbered the customers. That was a little sad.

Walmart, which is within walking distance to Lowes was equally sparse with customers. Although we didn't go in, we did drive by and I noticed most out going carts had no big ticket items. The same was true of stores like Tractor Supply and Target.

And then we come to online shopping. It was a disappointment all around. No big sales. I keep a very accurate history of prices for things I buy (or want to buy) and their pricing was flat all the way around. Of all the places I shopped, the online facilities were the least favorable to customers. 

I'll be interested to see the report on consumer spending for this holiday. If last week was any indication, every store (except HEB) is going to have to do better. 

We did buy a couple of things online, and a LOT of groceries to hold us over for the cold weather that's going to hit us this week. We plan on a couple of weeks of fireside naps and comfort foods.

My advice to stores: If you want your customers to spend money, offer better incentives. Most seasoned shoppers know a sale when we see one. Time to pony up. Relying on the frenzy of holiday shopping will no longer work. People are spending more wisely.

What's been your experience? Have you noticed any good sales? Do brick and mortar stores seem less busy than in years' past? 

 

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