Shopping streets busier on Black Friday, but not like before coronavirus

The city centers in the Netherlands attracted many more people on Black Friday than the average during the past eight Fridays. But it was not as busy as in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, or during 2020, the first year of the pandemic, reported retailer organization INretail. The group carried out a survey to determine how busy it was on the shopping streets in twenty cities across the country.

A spokesperson said it was generally a "cozy and pleasant" atmosphere. The weather was also favorable for shoppers, he said. The fact that it is not as busy as a few years ago is not necessarily a problem for shopkeepers. In the end, it's about how much people spend, and that will really only be measurable in hindsight, he stated.

Black Friday is a traditional start to the holiday sales season in the United States, beginning the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. The phenomenon has also become established in the Netherlands in recent years, but INretail was not willing to provide any predictions in the run-up to Black Friday this year.

In part, this was because of the frequent changes to the weather, making it difficult to predict weather conditions.

There were also experts who predicted that consumers would keep their purse strings pulled tight due to high energy costs and groceries which are more expensive. In addition, many shops and webshops have had sales running all week, so people could spread their bargain hunting over several days.

Like many consumers, there are also retail chains who see Black Friday as an offshoot of unbridled consumerism. Some opted to simply close their doors or run more playful promotions.