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Photos of Macy's nearly empty New York store on Black Friday compared to last year reveals how the coronavirus pandemic has destroyed in-person holiday shoppinghttps://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/photos-of-macyaposs-nearly-empty-new-york-store-on-black-friday-compared-to-last-year-reveals-how-the-coronavirus-pandemic-has-destroyed-in-person-holiday-shopping/slidelist/79453148.cms2020-11-27T23:26:57+05:30

Photos of Macy's nearly empty New York store on Black Friday compared to last year reveals how the coronavirus pandemic has destroyed in-person holiday shopping

Kate TaylorNov 27, 2020, 23:26 IST

This year, Macy's did not open until the morning of Black Friday.

Other major retailers, such as Walmart and Best Buy, did the same in an effort to make in-person shopping safer during the pandemic.

However, experts warned Business Insider that the strategy could backfire if it results in more people showing up all at once during the limited hours.

That does not appear to be an issue at Macy's. The New York Post reports that the New York City flagship had a line of just 30 people when it opened this morning.

Inside the store, foot traffic was sparse.

Shoppers who did show up were required to wear masks.

Let's compare this scene to Black Friday 2019.

Last year, Macy's opened its New York City flagship at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Hundreds of people crowded outside the store, surging inside when the doors opened.

To take a step back – 2019 was not seen as a particularly positive holiday shopping season for Macy's.

Macy's had a solid start to the holiday shopping season last year, and then saw sales slump as Christmas Day approached.

The New York Post said Macy's flagship store was a "ghost town" on Black Friday last year.

To be fair, Macy's had a lot to live up to. Here are the crowds back in 2011:

But let's compare 2019's so-called ghost town...

... with the store today.

The New York City store is likely being hit harder than other shopping centers across the US. Tourism has plunged in the city during the pandemic, resulting in the loss of many potential shoppers.

Most retailers are also shifting sales online and extending Black Friday deals, making in-person Black Friday shoppers less important than in years past. In fact, some 80% of shoppers told The NPD Group early in the holiday season that they planned to shop online this year, with just 42% of all holiday shopping taking place in stores according to the market research firm.

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