Old-fashioned shopping at brick-and-mortar stores is proving more than resilient again this holiday season despite the ever-present, always-open digital options and a less-than-stellar economy.
The National Retail Federation said an estimated 126 million consumers shopped in person over the Thanksgiving weekend, up from 121.4 million in 2023. Meanwhile, online shoppers totaled 124.3 million, down from 134.2 million shoppers last year.
At Warwick Mall, the crowds were thick through the weekend, and many stores continued the tradition of opening earlier than usual. General Manager Domenic Schiavone said he went into Black Friday “not knowing what to expect.”
Amid the uncertainty, a new feature was added at the mall this year: a Sunday event with more than 80 local artisan vendors, which Schiavone says was appreciated by the tenants, who credited the addition for their earlier-than-usual morning rush.
“A lot of our retailers were saying they were busy right out of the gate,” he said. “Target [Corp.] opened at 6 a.m. and had a line wrapped around the building.”
Schiavone is bullish on in-store retail’s resilience in the face of online competition, particularly during the holidays when nostalgia rules.
With the shopping days between Black Friday and Christmas fewer this year, many retailers had offered sales early.
“The uniqueness of Black Friday had definitely changed,” he said. “We have been busy all of November. But I was pleasantly surprised. We had traffic that was significantly higher than last year.”
Data shows that 81.7 million consumers shopped in stores on Black Friday, up from 76.2 million in 2023 and the highest level since the pandemic, the NRF said. Online shopping slightly declined, though retail analysts reported $11.3 million was spent on the web every minute between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday alone.
In all, over the five days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, an estimated 197 million shoppers, including both in person and online, spent an average of $235, according to the annual survey released by the NRF.
That led federation CEO and President Matthew Shay to proclaim that the weekend “retains its prominence among holiday spending events and continues to play a significant role in the holiday season for both consumers and retailers.”
Garden City Center in Cranston was bustling. The upscale shopping center has seen an influx of new luxury stores move in recently, such as Lilly Pulitzer, Free People, Rowan, Aerie, Sunglass Hut, as well as Providence Diamond Co.’s newest luxury venture, Providence Watches.
According to Garden City General Manager Joseph Koechel, thousands of people descended on stores there every day, though total revenue estimates were still being calculated.
“All indications are that sales were up over last year,” he said. “The weather was in our favor and having [fewer] days to shop before Christmas this year definitely got people out.”
Garden City benefits from its ease of access and walkability, Koechel says, who adds that there is a trend back to consumers preferring to mix social holiday strolls with holiday shopping.
“It’s a great combination of strong nationals and strong local businesses,” he said. “It gives a bit of a community feel, which benefits tenants. And the holiday decorations, especially at night, make the weekend very special. People enjoy just strolling around. We find that people will always ‘shop’ online, but purchases more often than not are still inside the store.”
Schiavone agrees.
“This tradition will continue to secure brick-and-mortar as the biggest piece of retail,” he said. n
