At East Lansing clothing store More Than Vintage, general manager Ricky Chesbrough said they've seen a decrease in the amount of in-person shoppers during the beginning of the holiday season.

“It was actually our first Black Friday this year,” Chesbrough said. “I think we had a pretty good day. Nothing too crazy, but seems like everyone had a fun day.”

Chesbrough said after COVID-19, the store’s most active time of year for sales is during football season in early fall.

Similarly, Nina Wood, general manager of Pitaya, said the store mainly does well during the school year. The women's clothing store does not offer Black Friday sales, she said.

“During the holidays, it really slows down,” Wood said.

Computer science freshman Aashi Sharma went Black Friday shopping in person at her local mall this year. She said the stores she visited weren’t as crowded as in previous years.

“I feel like when I was younger, I used to go a little bit earlier,” Sharma said. “I always used to shop in person, never online. I just remember there being a lot of crowds as well, that was a natural routine for everyone else. But now, I generally just shop online.”

Like Sharma, arts and humanities freshman Rachel Lewis experienced fewer crowds when she visited a Target this Black Friday.

“I feel like the hype around it is not as big as it has been in previous years,” Lewis said. “I also feel like a lot of stores are not as into it, either.”

Lewis pointed out that many retailers open up “Black Friday” deals days before the actual sale date of Nov. 25 and extend sales for weeks after.

Even outside of the holiday season, many people have turned to online shopping out of convenience. Though Sharma prefers online shopping, she said that being in person is necessary at times.

“When I’m in person, I like that I can try on the clothes and everything,” Sharma said. “Get to know the quality of the clothes and really get a feel for it. Whereas online shopping, you’re kind of taking a risk because you don’t necessarily know if it will fit you well, or if the quality is (good).”

However, Sharma noted that online stores typically have a greater variety of products and an increased stock of different sizes.

Lewis said she prefers a mix of in-person and online shopping. If she goes Black Friday shopping, she said, it’s more to enjoy the ambiance of the tradition.

“It doesn't feel like as big of a deal anymore,” Lewis said. “Black Friday is just like a fun event in our culture, but it does seem like it’s kind of a dying trend, a little bit. It’ll be interesting to see where it goes in the next few years.”