Carney: Retailers Struggle to Survive Through Black Friday in Coronavirus America

Black Friday appears to be calm but not catastrophically slow across much of the United States.

When they opened their doors on Friday morning, stores in some areas had small lines or few shoppers while in other areas shoppers faced sizeable lines, although none comparable to the prepandemic era.

How holiday shopping will be affected is a big question mark at this point, making this arguably the most important Black Friday since the frightening days of the 2008 financial crisis.

Signs urging social distancing and masks line the windows of most shops at the Franklin Park Mall during the Black Friday sales event on November 27, 2020 in Toledo, Ohio.

Black Friday was traditionally the day when many retailers first turned a profit for the year.

Customers wearing protective masks shop at Macy’s store during Black Friday on November 27, 2020 in New York, United States.

Importantly, the NRF estimate includes online sales, which are expected to jump between 20 percent and 30 percent.

“As major retailers opened at 5 a.m., lines were only a couple minutes long at places like Best Buy and Walmart on Dale Mabry Highway,” Tampa’s Bay News reported Friday morning.

But up in Western Michigan, CBS affiliate WWMT did find long lines of shoppers—including at least one woman who said this was her first time out shopping on Black Friday.