Madhukar Doppalabod of India had heard exciting things about shopping on Black Friday in the United States. So the University at Buffalo graduate student and a friend took an Uber to Target at 5 a.m. Friday with visions of deep discounts and big crowds dancing in their heads.
What they found when they got there was that they were the first – and only – people in line.
“Everybody gave me great expectations,” he said. “I thought there would be 100 people before me.”
Black Friday just ain’t what it used to be.
The scene at stores Friday was a far cry from the festive chaos of Black Fridays in years past, when hundreds of people lined up hours or days in advance to score great deals and freebies. Retailers offered few reasons to show up early or in person, offering the same deals to people who shopped online, and starting sales days, weeks and even months in advance.
At Target in Amherst, an hour before its 6 a.m. opening, there were just two people in line. At Best Buy in the same Boulevard plaza, where people regularly used to set up tents with heaters, grills and televisions and camp out as much as two days in advance for a good deal, there was no one.
Things were a little more lively at J.C. Penney at Boulevard Mall, where about 40 people were lined up by 4:40 a.m.
When doors opened at 5 a.m., people came out of their cars and the line roughly doubled.
“There really aren’t many things to come out for on Black Friday anymore,” said Robin Lewandowski of Hamburg.
She, her sister and their daughters lined up at J.C. Penney for a coupon that would likely be worth $10 off a $10 purchase, but gave the chance of winning as much as $500 off.
“We remember times we were out for Black Friday standing in line when the lines were 10 times as long as this, and it was 20 degrees out and just miserable,” she said. “But we had fun. We always had a good time.”
They were having fun this year, too, but it was nothing like the…
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