The Covid-19 pandemic didn’t just change consumer habits. It also prompted retailers to rethink Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
Many stores stayed closed this Thanksgiving, in a break with a pre-pandemic tradition of opening Thursday evening. Retailers have moved away from doorbusters, the deeply discounted items available for a limited time that drew hordes of shoppers to stores on Friday morning. Instead, they have been dangling Black Friday deals all month, both online and in stores. Some are hosting streaming events on their websites on Friday as an alternative to visiting a store.
