Black Friday, Cyber Monday changed during pandemic

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Camping out for a Black Friday deal is a tradition for many families, but holiday shopping, like everything else, has changed because of the pandemic.

According to Regina Conway, consumer expert for slickdeals.net, many stores will not be offering deals in their stores. "You're better off camping out online than you are in line for the store,” Conway said. "Most stores are not looking to attract that same level of crowd. In fact, if anything, they're trying to mitigate that this year.”

With so many shoppers camped out in front of their computer, the hot toys might be a little harder to buy. And getting that new Xbox Series X or PS5 might be really difficult, if not impossible. “Walmart, Target, and Best Buy have confirmed they’ll have limited stock on Black Friday,” Conway said.  

But customers may be up against resale bots that are driving the shortage. Resale bots are programs designed to order a next-gen console before a typical customer could, only to resell it on sites like eBay at a considerable profit— sometimes double or triple the suggested retail price.

Conway says stores will make it known when their stock is online, so your best bet to is to be at the right website at the right time, mouse finger at the ready. “You do need to do that research ahead of time, you don't want to just show up at midnight and expect that it will be there," she said.  

The pandemic has also changed tastes in what we want for gifts, according to Bio Bidet Chief Marketing Officer James Amburgey.

“Temperature controlled water, temperature controlled seat, which is especially comforting in the Midwest.”

Amburgey says Bio Bidet took advantage of the toilet paper shortage, and changed attitudes about their product. “We did a survey this year, because the market has grown,” he said. “Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed considered buying one for themselves, or getting one as a gift.”