Dense crowds push their way through the aisles as people aggressively swipe items off the shelves. The lines snake around corners and people stand shoulder to shoulder, eager to get into a packed store. Many are lethargic after waking up at 6 a.m. or waiting outside their favorite stores all night. However, the Black Friday experience of past years that many people are accustomed to will not occur this year.

“My friends and I would usually wake up super early and drive to the mall or other shopping centers,” junior Kylie Dougherty said. “We could get the best deals before everything was sold.”

Due to the coronavirus, people will not be able to start their early Christmas shopping in the traditional way. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has labeled shopping in-person during or after Thanksgiving as a high risk activity.

“Black Friday is a super spreader event,” freshman Gaby Gutierrez said. “You have a bunch of people crammed and packed in one place and if one of them has COVID-19, then they could infect a lot of other people.”

While shopping after Thanksgiving dinner is a tradition for many, several popular brands such as Walmart and Best Buy are trying to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus by closing their stores. A list of stores that will be closed on November 26 is here.

“I don’t know my plans yet for this year shopping wise,” Dougherty said. “But I will hopefully be able to go to the mall at least for a short period of time.”

Nevertheless, the majority of stores will remain open for in-person shopping on Black Friday while following state-mandated health guidelines, like requiring masks and enforcing social distancing.

Many brands have decided to push for online shopping and advance sales. Macy’s and Target have announced that they will be having discounts throughout November. In addition, numerous locations already have many large discounts and price cuts on their websites. 

“I definitely think it will be easier just because we won’t have to worry about hitting every single store in a certain amount of time,” Dougherty said. “We can browse online and it will be easier to find things we want to buy.”

Due to virtual shopping recommendations from the CDC, Black Friday is being compared with its sibling holiday, Cyber Monday, a day where people shop online for discounted items. This has resulted in the two holidays being merged together, so many shoppers are preparing themselves for one long weekend of bargains and steals. 

“In previous years, stores were always really packed with people on Black Friday,” Gutierrez said. “This year will definitely be different. Everything is virtual, but stores will most likely have the same deals they would, just online.”