Black Friday in den USA: Rabatte in ganz anderen Dimensionen?

Interview mit Alexandra Kenny aus den Vereinigten Staaten

Was verbinden wir mit dem Black Friday in den USA? Vermutlich erstmal lange Schlangen in den Geschäften, überfüllte Parkplätze oder extreme Rabattaktionen. Entspricht dieses Bild noch der Realität? Und wie erleben die US-Amerikaner diesen Tag? Um mehr darüber zu erfahren, wie es heute im Mutterland des Black Fridays wirklich zugeht, haben wir unsere Kontakte spielen lassen: Alexandra lebt in den USA, im Bundesstaat Nevada. Sie hat uns im Interview erzählt, welche Erfahrungen sie als US-Amerikanerin mit dem Black Friday verbindet.

Hello Alexandra, would you like to introduce yourself? Where exactly are you from? And do you live in a big city or a small town?

Hi, I am Alexandra Kenny, I am 24 years old, and I am from Henderson, Nevada. Henderson is a suburb about 20 minutes away from Las Vegas. So I would say I live very close to a big city. We have lots of shopping opportunities in Las Vegas.

How do you experience Black Friday in your area? Are there lots of local stores offering discounts, or is it mainly online?

It’s common for large online retailers to offer significant discounts during Black Friday. But local brick-and-mortar stores may as well participate to attract customers. Most local stores offer deals in my area, specifically large chain stores like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy. Most sales at these types of stores are for electronics like TVs, speakers, headphones, etc. Other stores at shopping malls like Macys, Dillards, Nordstrom, Victoria Secret, Sephora, Gap, etc. offer deals on clothes, but the Black Friday deals are not much better than a normal sale, which happens often at these stores anyway.

How would you describe people’s general mood on Black Friday?

There are a lot of emotions that go into Black Friday shopping. The main emotions I would say I’ve had are excitement, stress, frustration, and finally satisfaction. Going shopping on Black Friday is stressful. It is a competitive experience because most stores have long lines and large crowds, and some of the time, by the time you get to a store, the item you wanted is gone. Apart from that, Black Friday shopping is exciting when you find a great deal or an item you love.

I love shopping, so I would say Black Friday is more fun than stressful. But some people can make the experience frustrating and not worth it. By this, I mean people who go into a store and buy a ridiculous number of items, taking them away from everyone else just to get a deal, or even the people that will fight you for items in stores… it does happen. Lastly, whenever I am done shopping, I am always tired. So this day definitely causes fatigue, especially due to driving to a mall or store, struggling to find parking, waiting in long lines, etc.

What role does this day play in your family or circle of friends?

Growing up, my mom would take me shopping on Black Friday every year. We always went to the mall and shopped for clothes and holiday deals. It was definitely a tradition for us to wake up early and go shopping all morning. But nowadays I do not really partake in any in-person Black Friday shopping as every store has online deals! Shopping online is much easier than shopping in person, in my opinion. It saves you time and the effort of having to go in person when you don’t even know if what you want will still be in stock and not sold out. Most of my friends do the same thing: online shopping nowadays.

What personal experiences have you had with Black Friday? Do you always wait half the year for it and only make major purchases on that day?

I like Black Friday, especially now since most websites have the same or better deals than in-person shopping. But typically, I do not wait to purchase something in hopes that it will be on sale during Black Friday. I do think there are some good deals sometimes, but I typically just wait until the day to see what I can grab on sale and go from there. For me, it is more of a day of fun than a day of pre-planning what I’m going to purchase. I think a lot of people take Black Friday less seriously now than they did 10 years ago.

Are there certain offers that you generally look forward to or are especially excited about this year?

I love clothes, so I’m definitely hoping to hit up some of my favorite stores. I hope lululemon has a sale! And I am going to be on the lookout for any good sales for Christmas presents for my friends and family. Black Friday is a great time to get some early holiday shopping over with! But no, I am not particularly looking for anything specific this year.

Has Black Friday changed in recent years? If so, how? Are there any trends to watch?

I think Black Friday has definitely changed in recent years. Nowadays, Black Friday promotions start prior to the actual day, and many last through the weekend instead of just being on Friday. I like this change because it gives the customer more time to shop. However, it takes away from the mystique of Black Friday being a one-day event. Further, online shopping is much more prevalent now than it used to be.

Another change is social media influence. A lot of the products I want are products I see on Instagram or TikTok, either from advertisements or influencers promoting a product. Trends to watch all point towards online shopping, as this is the most popular way to shop nowadays. I miss the in-person aspect of shopping a little, because I do like to feel things in person and see them for myself. Nonetheless, online shopping is just so much easier.

What tips would you give others who want to shop on Black Friday?

I would recommend going early if shopping in person. Lines can get very long. And most of the time, if a store is doing a big promotion for a certain item, it will be sold out very soon. This year, I’m hoping to mainly do my shopping online. My tip to myself will be to look ahead of time at all the deals and figure out what I really need. I tend to spend too much money on things I want, and then I end up not using the item! I’m hoping to be a smarter shopper this holiday season.

Fazit

Wir können unser Bild vom Black Friday in den USA ein wenig updaten: Die langen Schlangen vor den Kassen, die überfüllten Geschäfte – all dies scheint es noch zu geben. Nichtdestotrotz hat sich der Black Friday auch in den USA verändert, so der Eindruck von Alexandra. Mit dem Aufschwung des Onlinehandels schauen viele US-Amerikaner heute hauptsächlich im Internet nach den besten Rabattaktionen.

Alexandra hat noch einen weiteren Trend beobachtet: Die Black Friday-Aktionen starten in den USA schon vor dem eigentlichen Freitag – eine Entwicklung, die wir auch aus Deutschland kennen. Insbesondere bei den Elektronikartikeln gäbe es zum Teil wirklich gute Angebote. Bei Kleidung seien die Rabatte nicht höher als beim normalen Ausverkauf.

Und wie erkennt man nun ein wirklich gutes Angebot? Welche Tricks und verborgenen Maschen wenden Händler auch in Deutschland an? Mehr Hintergründe zum Black Friday könnt ihr im Artikel „Black Friday: Hinter den Kulissen“ von Milena Perk nachlesen.