Nicole Trello headed to Rockaway Townsquare Mall with her children, Amy, 18, and Harry, 16, early Friday morning to begin their holiday shopping. They arrived when the mall opened at 6 a.m. and were treated to offers from Bath & Body Works, PacSun and Eddie Bauer.
The Trellas shopped in an almost empty mall.
“It’s sad,” Nicole Trella said. “Black Friday isn’t what it used to be. I used to come with my aunt, my mom, and the stores were packed.”
Shoppers like the Trello family, who live in Parsippany, braved the rain to continue the annual tradition of Black Friday shopping, even as online shopping continues to dominate brick-and-mortar retail. In the first full holiday shopping season without the masking and other demands of the pandemic, some shoppers and retailers were cautious as inflation took a bite out of shopping budgets.
In accordance with National Retail Federation, inflation continues to be a dominant concern for retailers and consumers. In November Monthly Economic Surveyreal gross domestic product increased by 2.6% in the third quarter of 2022. American consumers are paying an average of 6.2% year-over-year, with an increase of 8.1% year-over-year for goods and 5.3% for services as of September 2022, according to the Bureau of Economic analysis of the US.
Read more: Your guide to holiday shopping in New JerseyNorth Jersey’s Black Friday Mall Guide: Hours, Experiences & Inflation
In 2009, during the Great Recession, more than 60% of people surveyed by the NRF said the economy was affecting their vacation spending plans. Consumers have returned to 2009 levels this year, worried about the state of the economy, although there is little evidence of a return to past Great Recession behavior as many still plan to spend, the feds said.
Nearly two-thirds of holiday shoppers say it’s important to spend on holiday gifts and festivities. And holiday shoppers expect to spend an average of $832.84 on gifts and holiday goods this year, which is in line with the 10-year average.
It is predicted that this year’s holiday retail sales will grow by 6-8%. E-commerce sales are included in the holiday forecast and are forecast to grow 10% to 12% this holiday season.
Nicole Trello said she plans to spend about the same amount this holiday season. She is lucky to work for a pharmaceutical firm, but she is worried about the higher cost of food, as holiday dinners are more expensive for the family this year.
Since this summer, the owners of small retail chains are experiencing difficulties. Latif Karim, who owns a photo booth at Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, says business started to slow down in August. It’s the slowest Black Friday in ten years since he’s been at the mall.
“You look at the buyers. They’re not buying,” Kareem said late Friday morning. “I haven’t sold anything since opening this morning.”
At his stall, Karim sells photo t-shirts, photo jewelry and photo mugs, as well as other gifts. His custom t-shirts cost $25, a price that has remained the same for several years, even as the price rises.
Erika Papacres, owner of a jewelry stand, says Black Friday 2022 is off to a slow start. People are buying less because of inflation, she said.
Despite the economy, Willowbrook Mall CEO Ryan Hidalgo expects sales to pick up this year, driven primarily by electronics sales, pointing to a crowded Apple store.
“People still want to shop in person,” he said.
The mall has done well with the Gen Z and millennial crowds, Hidalgo said. Personal shopping is a social outing and people still like to try on clothes, he added.
That’s why Totowa teenagers Mia Haro and Kate Reilly, both 13, decided to get up early to get to Willowbrook. They wanted to try to feel the clothes.
“Sometimes it’s hard when you buy online because the quality isn’t there,” Reilly said.
While they were able to get great deals on fashion on Black Friday, retail shopping is a splurge for friends. They go to thrift stores to find bargains, and Haro notices that her father is unemployed, so the family is on a tight budget.
Gianna Ortiz and Princess Blay, both 18, of Hackettstown, arrived in Willowbrook for the 9 a.m. opening to get in line at Pandora with their friend, Leilani Galban, 18, of Vernon. The entire Pandora store was on sale for 30% off, and they were looking at rings that normally sell for $60.
Mount Olive teenagers Janice Lazaro, 16, Olivia Alvarez, 16, and Karan Popoi, 17, were up at 2 a.m. Friday and hanging out at Dunkin’ before the Garden State Plaza opened at 7 a.m. They moved to Willowbrook later that morning, buying clothes for themselves as well as gifts for the family.
Mall hours were staggering, with Rockaway opening at 6am, Garden State Plaza at 7am, Willowbrook at 9am, and the Mall at Short Hills at 10am. Hidalgo said the company’s research showed that the busiest time on Black Friday was between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. , so the shopping center adjusted its opening hours accordingly.
What also changed on Black Friday is that the big box stores are no longer open on Thanksgiving, and both Walmart and Target are closed on Thursday. Long queues at 6am are a thing of the past, as are mall sales only in the wee hours.
When it comes to holiday shopping, it’s normal as New Jersey and the nation recover from the pandemic. More sales are spread over the entire two months, not just on one day.
But for some, the tradition of shopping in person the day after Thanksgiving will never end. Eka Swani, 20, and Farah Sheira, 20, have been friends since high school in Parsippany and have been shopping early in the morning since childhood.
“It’s a tradition to shop on this day,” Sheira said. “It’s adrenaline. It’s deals.”
Mary Chao specializes in real estate and Asian communities. Email mchao@NorthJersey.com.
