Black Friday seemed quieter in the Chicago area this year.
In years past, long lines of people would be waiting for big-box stores to open before sunrise to get Black Friday deals. Some people would even camp out in the cold.
But this year, many shoppers who were ready to brave the lines remarked that it felt like any other shopping day.
The reasons varied. As in past years, online deals made it easier to shop from home. But for many, higher prices thanks to inflation and tariffs meant good deals were harder to find. And for Hispanic shoppers in particular, fear of immigration arrests may be keeping some people home.
“The economy is not good, and there are still people who are afraid of ICE,” said Liset Avalos, who was shopping in the Home Depot at 2803 S. Cicero Ave. in suburban Cicero.
Avalos was buying poinsettias that were marked down from $6.98 to $1.25. She comes every year for the plants.
“Normally they are just about gone by now, but I’m the only one grabbing them,” Avalos said, about 6:15 a.m. Still, the plants were more expensive this year, going for $1.25 when they were 99 cents last year. She wound up buying 20 instead of her usual 30 to give to her friends and relatives.
A record 186.9 million people plan to shop in stores and online from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. That’s up from 183.4 million people last year.
Katie Walsh, senior marketing manager for Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont, said lines for stores seemed “comparable” to last year’s. Doors opened at 6 a.m. and shoppers showed up “bright and early.”
But Black Friday arrived just as consumer confidence in the U.S. economy fell this month in the aftermath of the federal government shutdown, weak hiring and stubborn inflation, according to a report the Conference Board issued Tuesday.
At 5:59 a.m. at the Cicero Home Depot, instead of a stampede to get to items that were marked down, people casually strolled the aisles. There seemed to be as many sales associates on the floor as shoppers.
Raul Ramirez of Cicero said he was happy to find a deal. Ramirez, a landlord who owns a few buildings, said he found a ladder that was $129, marked down from $239.
As for the lack of throngs of shoppers, he said he didn’t know the reason.
“Maybe because of ICE. Maybe because you can buy it online,” he said.
The poor showing of Black Friday shoppers was also apparent on the Magnificent Mile — Chicago’s shopping centerpiece.
“It’s definitely not as busy as it was growing up,” said Katherine Walker, 26, of Lake View.
A sales associate at fashion outlet H&M said he expected a large crowd but was surprised to see how few shoppers stopped inside the store.
“It’s busy like any other weekday,” the associate said.
Dancer Josip Balaban, visiting from Toronto, came to participate in an American tradition only to be struck by how empty the streets were.
“We see the videos online of people running over each other. But it’s pretty chill,” Balaban said.
For other shoppers in Cicero, at the Target at 2901 S. Cicero Ave., the story was similar.
“The deals are not great,” said Selena Benavides of Little Village, who was shopping for deals on clothes and toys for her 7-year-old son.
Benavides said she normally comes early on every Black Friday and was surprised by the lack of a large crowd.
“Maybe it’s fear of ICE, but everything is also so expensive these days,” she said. “People don’t have extra money to spend.”
At the Walmart Supercenter a half-mile away at 3320 S. Cicero Ave., Maria Quezada shopped with her sister Yury and her niece. She echoed shoppers at the other stores, blaming a low turnout on a combination of things.
“Most definitely Hispanic people are afraid to come out, but there’s also not many deals — nothing great like in other years. I guess it’s because of all the tariffs,” she said.
One sales associate who was stocking 55-inch televisions said the TVs, marked down to $168 from $299, were moving. The associate said that the store had already gone through three pallets worth. Still, he conceded that the crowd was less than on previous Black Fridays, chalking it up to online deals in the days leading up to Friday.
“It’s not just one event anymore where people would rush in. Now there’s like three events leading up to this,” the associate said.
Contributing: AP