BUFFALO, N.Y. — The busy holiday season is here, but with a lot less of the hustle and bustle we have seen in years past.
This Black Friday we did not see the long lines of shoppers outside stores waiting to score the best deals. Our 2 On Your Side crew was at the Boulevard Consumer Square on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Amherst. They saw a few dozen cars in the lot, and some people outside as stores opened in the early morning hours, but nothing like in years past.
This year, many of the big box stores like Target, Walmart and Kohl's chose to remain closed on Thanksgiving and open early Black Friday morning.
With most of Erie County in an orange zone, malls and retail stores are allowed to be open, but must be at 50 percent capacity or less. Earlier this week the Erie County Health Department issued a statement saying, "Our department and environmental health division are contacting 'big box' stores, discussing current guidelines and going over these stores' plans for Black Friday." At this time we don't know if sanitarians or other county workers will check in on stores, or just respond if there's some sort of complaint.
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Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz took to social media Black Friday afternoon to give an update on shopping in Erie County, to which Poloncarz said that it has been, 'very mild.'
Poloncarz also added that there has been, 'Low traffic counts at most retailers, especially "big box" stores, as most appear to have heeded warnings to avoid crowds."
This year many stores are offering curbside pick-up to allow people to avoid the crowds. Many stores also started running sales back in October, so there isn't a single day rush. Others began their Black Friday deals earlier this month and have been rolling out new or different sales each week.
2 On Your Side's talked with Sara Skirboll from RetailMeNot.com. She said people aren't waiting in line like they used to because they don't have to!
"We know that we can get basically the same deals that you see in store, online. So there's a lot more shopping from the comfort of your own couch," Skirboll said. "The good news for shoppers is that they have this online shopping thing down pat. They've been doing it over the years, especially around Black Friday and Cyber Monday."
A survey by RetailMeNot.com showed that 75 percent of people said they plan to do a majority of their holiday shopping online. 20 percent said they will ONLY shop online this season.
If you're looking to head out shopping today, here's a list when all the stores will be opened.