As Thanksgiving is soon to pass, Black Friday is fast approaching. Students prepare to shop for themselves and others, mainly online to follow CDC guidelines and stay safe. Black Friday falls on Nov. 27 this year with Cyber Monday on Nov. 30.

Normally, students spend Black Friday shopping in malls or stores. However, this year, students are worried about the crowds that will be in stores on Black Friday. This has resulted in students planning to do the majority, if not all, of their shopping online. “I plan to shop online, if anything, for Black Friday this year. Shopping with Covid has been difficult because I like to try things on and see it in person before I decide to spend my money on it. But, I’ve been doing some online shopping and many sites have been more accommodating with returns due to Covid,” senior Jillian Pohoryles said.

Navigating Black Friday sales online can be a challenge. Some websites are starting their sales earlier than Black Friday, or exclusively participating in Cyber Monday sales. Some stores have already started their sales, beginning as early as late October. Walmart, for example, is holding a “ Black Friday Deals for Days” event where different departments will have their sales throughout the entire month of November. Students are left to decide which stores they want to shop at and research when each of them will start their sales. This year, more planning has to go into shopping online to know when the best sales will be.

Black Friday is the kickoff to holiday shopping where students buy for both themselves and for their friends and family. Buying gifts on Black Friday is the best way for students to complete all of their holiday shopping at lower prices. “Around November and December, I look for holiday gifts. I usually don’t buy anything for myself during this time of year, but I’ll find things I like and put it on a wishlist,” Pohoryles said.

The new increase in online shopping has left retail stores struggling. With the majority of people deciding to shop exclusively online this year to stay safe, retail stores’ sales are plummeting while online stores’ sales are skyrocketing. “Hundreds of America’s 1,100 malls are expected to shut down because of COVID-19 and pressures from online retailers, experts say, and as many as 25,000 stores will close this year, according to Coresight Research, a research and advisory firm,” according to usatoday.com.