Shoppers line up for Black Friday, Best Buy bargains in Milpitas
Bay Area shoppers got in line for Black Friday, but it doesn't look like it used to.
MILPITAS, Calif. (KGO) -- It's Black Friday, the traditional big shopping day that often brings good deals and long lines. But as we found out Friday morning, traditions change. Black Friday doesn't look like it used to.
There was a line to get into the Best Buy in Milpitas before it opened at 5a.m. But customers didn't spend the night out here like we have seen in years past. Instead, they waited about an hour to get inside.
We got here just 45 minutes before. We came for some TVs. It's an annual thing I do with my mom," said Greg Villasenor, a Milpitas resident.
He said it is definitely not the time commitment it used to be.
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"Yeah, we have waited for three hours, come early at midnight to be in line. It's changed. It's a little different," he said.
Black Friday deals now tend to roll out before Black Friday diluting the hype around this day. Those who did show up on Friday said they don't miss the huge crowds.
"I like it better like this. We are in and out didn't have to wait in the cold," said Omer Jones from Santa Clara.
Best Buy said you can stay home posting a sign saying "you can order online "and do "curbside pickup," a strategy from the pandemic that has stuck around.
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But some tell us they just like the Black Friday tradition.
"I am still old school I like the whole festive feel of catching that deal in person," said Lena Nguyen from San Jose.
And shoppers say the deals are good.
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"We got an Apple TV, an air fryer for my grandmother and another TV for my grandmother," said Jones.
"How much did you save?," I asked.
"Oh, we saved over 200," he said.
But it's foot traffic and spending like this that has forecasters predicting a healthier season than last year with Black Friday sales expected to be up 20 percent compared to 2020.
