Black Friday 2021 in Syracuse and Central NY

Black Friday shopping was busy in Central New York, but the crazy lines and frenzied rush were hard to find.

The soaking rain may have cut down on the outside lines, but most stores were moderately busy early Friday morning.

People lined up at Walmart in East Syracuse and Target in Fayetteville to get deals on televisions, gaming consoles, games and Apple watches. At Kohls, people walked right in as the store opened. Best Buy also opened at 5 a.m. and was busy with shoppers, as was Bath and Body Works.

About 50 people lined up at Walmart in East Syracuse before the store opened at 5 a.m.

Michelle and Diane McLean of Syracuse. brought folding chairs and arrived at 2:30 a.m. to take advantage of the $398 deal on a 70-inch TV.

“I went to bed around 6:30 right after eating and got up just in time,” Michelle said.

About 25 people lined up at Target about 6:30 a.m. Most waited in their cars out of the rain until they saw people starting to line up. Two people arrived at 11:30 p.m. and waited in their cars in the parking lot until 4:30 a.m.

Zak Rosen and Robert Probs, both of Fayetteville, were under an overhang waiting in their coats and sleeping bags for Target to open. They both wanted Xbox gaming consoles, and were hoping they were in stock.

“I’ve never done a Black Friday before but figured why not this time? I didn’t have anything else to do,’' Rosen said. “I figured why not go all out and try.”

Several others in line also were hoping for Xbox consoles.

Both were successful in snagging the $300 gaming consoles, so they said it was worth the wait.

Paula Kraft of Chittenango, accompanied by Landone and Lindze DeVine, hit Best Buy at 5 a.m. and walked right in to buy games. There also were no lines as they checked out. Then they went to Kohl’s where they bought clothes and other gifts.

Many shoppers wore face masks, but they aren’t mandatory inside stores for fully vaccinated people.

“We walked right in, and we were the second people in line to check out,” Kraft said. “Black Friday shopping is much easier this year.”

Shoppers reported Destiny USA also was busy, but without long lines to get inside any stores.

Many people have turned to online shopping because of Covid and stores offering fewer “doorbuster” deals.

“Black Friday” began to be widely used only in the early 2000s. Broader participation in Black Friday after 2005 led many more stores to offer incredible deals, known as “doorbusters” that attracted long lines of anxious shoppers who would be kept out in the cold until the store opened as early as 5 a.m.

For years, Black Friday has been losing importance, the Associated Press reported. Since 2011, stores jumpstarted the holiday shopping season by opening their doors on Thanksgiving to compete with Amazon and other rising online threats. But the shift merely cannibalized Black Friday sales. The shopping bonanza was further diluted when stores started marketing Black Friday sales for the full week and then later for the month.

Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime at 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com

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