‘You could save some money’: Here’s why shopping Black Friday in-person is better
HONOLULU (KHON2) — As online shopping becomes more and more popular, some shoppers may question — why even go out for Black Friday sales?
"We do absolutely see and hear about a lot of people ordering online. The majority of orders that are happening right now when it comes to buying for Christmas are skewing on the digital side," said Cameron Nakashima, media engagement and digital campaigns manager at the Better Business Bureau. "So it's a trend that we've been seeing for the last several years, and it definitely doesn't show any signs of letting up."
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However, Nakashima said there's a couple different reasons why you might want to shop in-person — including the chance to support local businesses.
"A lot of local shops are going to be in person. They haven't really set up the e-commerce as robustly as maybe they should. Or if they do have it set up, there might be some shipping costs associated with that," Nakashima said. "You could save some money just go over to your neighbor's booth or their kiosk, their brick and mortar, and buy from them directly."
Additionally, sometimes it's better to see the product in-person, rather than through a screen.
"Another big reason [to go in person] is if it's something that you want to get your hands on physically, right?" Nakashima said. "But if we're talking about large electronics, maybe it's a washer and dryer set or a TV, it might be a good idea to go see that in person."
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Some of the items you might want to see for yourself are appliances, furniture items and clothing. He said it's these items that usually have great deals as well.
"The things that you want to get your hands on, they're going to have some some really great deals this time of year as well. So definitely worth shopping, especially if you know ahead of time what you're looking at," Nakashima said. "You can scope it out online and then going in person. It's just a quick touch base of, yep, that is exactly what I thought it was."
Fraudulent sales online are especially prevalent during the holidays, he said.
"Going in person, you can verify if those deals are legitimate or if it's a third party, a faker out there who's being an imposter," Nakashima said.
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Also, if the store is sold out of their inventory online, they may still have items in store.
"There's kind of this hybrid approach that's been picking up steam the last few years, where if you're thinking about going out, but you're like, maybe I don't want to fight the crowds, I don't want to push through people: they have a pickup in store options," he said.
Locals know being early plays a factor in getting a good deal.
"A lot of people talk about Black Friday deals getting in there early. They'll even sometimes start shopping on Thanksgiving," Nakashima said. "But over the last few years, there's been a little bit of a buzz, and we hope to add to it this year talking about Small Business Saturday, that's the Saturday right after Black Friday, and it's another great reason to go shopping in person, to go meet your neighbors, to support those neighborhood marketplaces and the people in the community that really make the business, that make your community this trusted place to shop."
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