Black Friday wasn’t the same this year, and it’s a real shame. Despite a record number of 196.7 million Americans participating in stores and online between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, according to survey results collected by the National Retail foundation, it just didn’t feel the same.

Do I enjoy Black Friday? Yes. Do I enjoy the satisfaction of finding a good deal in store and tricking my loved ones into thinking I spent top dollar? Also, yes. Did I participate this year? No. 

I usually am well prepared with a list when Black Friday rolls around. I stockpile clothes, electronics, and other hot holiday items throughout the year like a festive squirrel and have them ready to go in my cart when the day of reckoning comes. However, this year I found the sales were lackluster both online and in store, the discounts were small and not worth the Hunger Games level of combat usually required to snag those heavily discounted items. 

It’s one thing to see items and brands suddenly up for sale throughout the year, it’s not odd to see 15-30 percent markdowns, but when it’s Black Friday? Black- every man, woman and child for themselves, forget your mom, you’ll meet her at the car, survival of the fittest, closest thing we have to The Purge- Friday? 

A number of factors could have led to this, according to Forbes. With the supply chain starting to catch up after the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers are trying to get rid of high levels of inventory, leading to discounts on more items over the course of several months instead of focusing on one big shopping event focused on fewer items. Forbes confirmed my observation, reporting higher numbers of sales, but with more widespread discounts on more items instead of a select few.

Forbes also confirmed my suspicion that the sales were weaker than years past, reporting the average consumer discount rate for toys was 31.8%, 23.4% for electronics, and 13.8% for apparel. I’m supposed to risk being trampled for that? 

Forbes also reported that online shopping was up in 2022, with online toy sales increasing 285% compared to a single average day of sales in October, and electronics with the category as a whole up 19% as of Friday, Nov 25.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a shift in the way people handled their shopping. As we move forward into 2023, let’s take notice at how we spend our holiday dollars as we strive to bring Christmas cheer to our loved ones. I for one am looking forward to seeing my family and their faces light up with the deals I was able to snag and being more mindful of where I spend my dollars in 2023. 

Happy holidays and I wish you a very merry Christmas!