Will shoppers risk their health to get those Black Friday deals?

 In store or online? With talk of a “second wave” of COVID cases on the horizon, Black Friday could be looking a little different this year. Black Friday usually sees large crowds gathering outside of stores across the country, but shoppers may not be participating in the holiday.

For holiday shopper, Marissa Diem, 21, her decision came pretty quickly. Diem admitted that she hasn’t gone out during Black Friday in the past. The rising number of COVID cases only encouraged her decision to stay home this year.  

“With everything going on, I’ll be online shopping,” she said.  

Unlike Diem, Hannah Parrino, 21, has been out shopping during Black Friday. Parrino says she has traveled to stores like Kohl’s and Target with her older sister in years prior. While Diem has decided to stay home, Parrino remains unsure if she’ll actually go out this year. 

“We’ll have to see how restrictions are and we’ll make our decision then,” she said.  

It currently appears that most stores will have their doors open for Black Friday. Diem is one of many shoppers concerned with how this could impact the spread of the virus.   

“I think it depends on how stores will handle limited capacity requirements. We could see COVID cases rise in the weeks following,” Diem said. 

While there are many who are worried about Black Friday causing a spike in COVID cases, there are some who don’t want to miss out on their big deals and sales. The decision to shop online or shop in stores during the pandemic is really felt for customers to decide.  

“I think that if the stores take the necessary precautions and there’s enough workers to make sure everyone’s socially distancing and they limit their capacity, I think it will be okay,” Parrino said.

Hannah Parrino, 21, talking about Black Friday