Black Friday 

The Rise of Online Shopping 

By Lara Palmer 

Last year, in 2022, a survey was conducted to see how many people would be shopping in stores versus online. 95% of people said they were planning to shop in stores that year, but the pandemic still had effects on the people’s shopping habits. Many of the businesses began putting out the same sales in stores as they do online, leading customers to decide on where to shop. 

One difference is the speed of receiving the item. People who shop in stores get instant gratification and get to have their gifts immediately while online shoppers must wait and there is always the issue of the delivery being delayed and not arriving on time. 

The other difference between the two is convenience. Shopping in stores is a tiring effort, especially on Black Friday. Waking up hours before stores open to be there bright and early for the deals versus purchasing everything from their homes and waiting for it to arrive is a main difference. 

Mrs. Betts was asked if she preferred online or in person shopping and said, “I love Black Friday shopping! I used to get up early in the mornings and go, but in recent years I have become more of an online shopper.” She also gave her opinion on how the online shopping scene has grown, “I think now with the technology that is in place and because of the pandemic, more stores have almost the same exact sales online and in-stores which I feel makes more people select the online choice instead.” 

Mrs. Wensel was also interviewed and asked to say which she preferred. “I far and away prefer to shop in person! I am a visual person and I forget easily so sometimes shopping in person, I’ll see something and remember I wanted to buy that or something related to it.”  

Both give an interesting point to the conversation, seeing a different side of opinions. Whether people decide to shop in stores or online, this year’s Black Friday is sure to be an interesting one.