Fewer rushes seen on Black Friday in Las Vegas

It was only 9 a.m. Friday and Kyla Walczak had already been shopping, and waiting to shop, for three hours.

“This is the only outlet of (Lululemon) in Vegas so this is the place to be,” Walczak, of North Las Vegas, said while waiting to get into the store with her friend on Black Friday.

With the brand’s top-selling leggings going for $29 — normally up to $118 — it’s easy to see how the line snaked around the North Premium Outlets mall. A worker managing the line said guests were queuing as early as 4:30 a.m., an hour and a half before opening.

An estimated 1.8 million Nevadans are expected to shop this weekend on retail blitz days like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, according to the Retail Association of Nevada. Residents from across the valley were out early after Thanksgiving to snag deals and partake in shopping traditions.

Fewer big rushes

But as also seen across the valley mad rushes to big box stores on late Thanksgiving and early Black Friday seem to be falling out of trend with the rise of online shopping and early holiday deals. Almost all major retail chains including Walmart, Target and Best Buy were closed for the Thursday holiday, but had early holiday promotions throughout November.

At a Target on Flamingo Road near the 215-Beltway, a small crowd of about 40 people waited outside the big box store for the 6 a.m. opening. The crowd was dispersed in the store not even five minutes after, shopping for discounted electronics and homegoods.

Gabe Lataban, a Henderson resident, got to Walmart on East Lake Mead Parkway around 8:40 a.m. to pick up some basic items that he needed, like towels and clothes hangers. He was surprised by how empty the Walmart seemed for Black Friday.

“It just feels like a normal shopping day,” he said.

Forecasting from the National Retail Federation showed that almost 60 percent of U.S. consumers have already initiated their holiday shopping. NRF said this trend has gained momentum since the pandemic, where some shoppers have completed a quarter of their planned shopping.

The survey also found 18 percent of holiday shoppers have completed at least half of their holiday shopping already, up from 11 percent a decade ago.

Henderson resident Deanna West also noticed that it looked like a normal shopping day at Target. She didn’t think the store was offering any great sales. She wanted to get out of the house and did not expect to buy much.

“It just seems like it’s dying down,” she said. “It’s more so online. I miss the physical altercations when people would trample each other,” she laughed.

Andrew Ciarrocchi, senior vice president of Downtown Summerlin, said bargain hunters mix online and in-person shopping together and successful retailers offer both options. The mall introduces holiday activities and attractions — like the weekend holiday parades, a Santa photobooth and the ice skating rink — this weekend to further drive crowds to the area.

“It’s not the 6 a.m. rush anymore,” Ciarrocchi said. “It’s spread out throughout the entire day. Then we’ve got the great things like the holiday parade and Enchant across the street to sort of make a whole day of it. So you come do your shopping, get a bite to eat and then take in the activities.”

Shopping patterns change

Still, shoppers were out across the valley early Friday, including Summerlin resident Michelle Demers with about a dozen friends and their daughters for their annual shopping tradition. By 8 a.m., they had already been shopping at Ulta, Macy’s, Old Navy and other stores for three hours. They still had more stores to visit before an 11 a.m. lunch reservation.

“We come early because of the stock,” Demers said while the group pushed a personal shopping cart filled with bags from Bath and Body Works and other stores. “They sell out quick.”

Ashley Fawcett, area director of marketing at the Las Vegas north and south Premium Outlets, said she thought group dynamics and traditions like Demers’ were bringing shoppers out to stores.

“I also think people really miss the connectivity,” Fawcett said. “They grab their friends, grab coffee and maybe brunch after. But they’re shopping in groups and so there’s this whole camaraderie piece that you can’t get whenever you’re buying online.”

Fawcett said the outlet malls expect the 180 brands to continue offering major discounts throughout the weekend, but stock could dwindle. Expect crowds at each location through Sunday. Overflow parking is available for the north outlet location at the nearby World Market Center.

Just how much in-person retailers sell this year could influence future Black Fridays. Boulevard Mall General Manager Timo Kuusela said he’ll monitor this year to see if there is demand for a more “traditional” Black Friday and adjust mall hours accordingly.

“Typically a lot of people think of Black Friday as being a midnight opening or a late, late night opening,” Kuusela told the Review-Journal earlier in the week. “We haven’t seen that be popular for a few years, but we are seeing a bounce back of people wanting to shop on that day. In the lead up to it, we’re seeing a lot more traffic in the mall. It’s kind of exceeding our expectations.”

McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X. Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.