Thanksgiving Weekend is one of the biggest shopping times of the entire year. It includes Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.

Black Friday is where expert bargain-hunters thrive on getting all their Christmas gifts for lower prices. Some people are even at the stores before the sun comes up.

This year, more than ever,  there was a shift in the normal Black Friday tradition. In past years, stores like Target, Apple, and Walmart have had lines full of people starting even before Friday begins.

The difference is online shopping.

Science Teacher Mr. Mark Grzanna, said, “Online shopping is more efficient and effective for Black Friday sales.”

Online shopping is a way for customers to get what they need from stores with the luxury of staying indoors and being in their homes with a list of everything they need to buy.

This system has changed brick and mortar retail and has impacted how and when they present their Black Friday sales.  Black Friday didn’t involve the necessity of camping outside of stores in tents, but it now focused on a click of a button on any smart device.
Most stores, including popular stops like Target, Abercrombie, and Walmart displayed their sales starting the day before Thanksgiving.

Sophomore Gianna Bullington explained, “Having all the deals out early made it easier for me to purchase my family gifts.”

As a result of online shopping, families got to relax and sleep after eating their Thanksgiving meals, instead of going out in busy stores with raging customers, which at times could lead to feuds and injury.

By advertising early, stores reached sales goals because customers had more time to shop and pick out what they needed to get.

Online shopping is not only more convenient for the customer, but it is a bit less stressful for store staff as well. Sales personnel didn’t have as big of a rush in stores on Black Friday with hostile consumers who had been waiting in the cold to shop.

After Black Friday, there was Small Business Saturday, a time for smaller local businesses to get their time to shine. Customers at times can overlook smaller stores for wider-known stores.

On Small Business Saturday, local stops like the shops on Main Street advertised their deals.

Stores like Tiger Lily, a local boutique on Main Street had a deal like 20% in addition to a free quarter-zip with minimum purchase. This sale, along with the longer store hours, allowed Main Street shops to flourish with sales and customers.

Small Business Saturday reminded Harford county citizens to support local businesses because they contribute to the local economy by bringing growth and innovation to the community.

Shopping locally not only helped the shop owners, most of whom are Harford county residents, but it also helped local schools, roads, and public safety by increasing local tax revenue,  keeping money in our own county.

To finish off the shopping-filled weekend, Cyber Monday came along. Cyber Monday was created by retailers to encourage people to shop online.

This year, compared to past years, Cyber Monday sales were on track to hit $9.4 billion compared to last year’s sales that hit $7.9 billion according to Adobe Analytics.

Shopping for the holidays has grown into a tech-savvy weekend filled with lots of joy.