‘I think everyone misses what it was,’ North Texas Black Friday shoppers say
Compared to videos that used to go viral with shoppers fighting over merchandise, this year’s Black Friday looked different. It was much quieter, less crowded and seemed to be missing what used to make the early shopping spree worth it, shoppers at the North East Mall in Hurst said early Friday morning.
“I remember coming before and the deals were so good, you knew you could not pass it up,” said Stephanie Harvey, who brought her daughter, niece and nephew out to the mall for their first Black Friday experience. “You’d probably end up spending more money because stuff was so cheap, and now, I’m here looking at things going, ‘Oh. I’m going to pass. It’s not really worth the discounts this time.’”
Harvey, like many other veteran holiday shoppers, remembered when Black Friday used to be total chaos.
“There used to be a lot more crowds,” Harvey said, as the children whispered among one another that the fighting and screaming sounded like fun. “I remember there was a period where things opened up at midnight, but it opened at 6 [a.m.] this year which was nice. … I was never into the fighting.”
Although a few shoppers said they enjoyed the quietness, others were nostalgic for the era before COVID-19, like Tabitha Turner who said it was tradition to come to the mall every year.
“We do it all [Black Friday, Cyber Monday and online shopping], but honestly this is fun. We have a plan and we get the papers out after Thanksgiving dinner and we all sit down and circle, come up with plans and lists,” Turner said. “This year is different though, like Target wasn’t open yesterday. This one is not as fun as it’s been in the past, I think because COVID has changed things, but it’s still fun … to spend time with family.”
Turner was joined by two nieces, a nephew, her mother and her sister. She, similar to Harvey, felt the mall seemed like it was missing big specials, with some stores even closed, she said.
“It’s so empty and bare, which is kind of nice. There’s not crazy people, although we did just see a lady with a stroller full of bags and no child,” Turner said. “The crowds are much easier. Lines are simple, which is not quite as fun. I always enjoyed the people fighting over parking spaces and yelling at people for the last toy. … We’re missing the hustle and bustle of all the crazy people. … It was a blast and it was fun to have to deal with all the craziness.”
Amanda Trapp was another shopper at the mall around 7 a.m. Friday. Trapp and her son traveled over three hours from their small town to get some good deals, she said. She walked out of JCPenney with multiple kitchen appliances, although she only came for pajamas.
“I used to get up at like 3 o’clock in the morning and go, so it’s definitely different, but I guess it’s OK because we slept in a little bit today,” Trapp said, but like others, echoed she missed the quickness of the holiday. “It’s way slower. There’s not nearly as many people. I think everyone misses what [it was]. Everyone’s so distant now.”
