Black Friday shoppers hit Twin Cities malls hunting for deep discounts

Black Friday was officially back this week after a pandemic slowdown — at least at the country's biggest mall.

By late morning at the Mall of America in Bloomington, hordes shuffled into Lululemon and Kendra Scott to snag yoga apparel and colorful jewelry, respectively. A line wound around the Lego Store, and a resuscitated Toys 'R' Us welcomed children as toy stores — for the first time in recent years — seemed to rival the popularity of the megamall's clothiers.

"We're back to normal," said Jill Renslow, executive vice president of business development and marketing at the mall. "[And we're] bringing back the things that people love but adding something to it."

Within the first hour of opening, the mall said 12,000 people strolled through its doors, a 20% increase from last year as shoppers looked to take advantage of sales and receive special "doorbuster" prizes from elves and Vikings cheerleaders (who literally busted through fake paper doors). By just after 9 a.m., the mall said it had distributed all 4,000 prizes, a record that even beat pre-pandemic 2019's time.

Elsewhere in the Twin Cities, the lack of deep discounts and shoppers' inflation-lightened wallets were a little more obvious. Shoppers trickled into Ridgedale Center and the Shoppes at Knollwood, steadily increasing through the day. Employees at the Best Buy outlet in Blaine kept busy with customers looking to save a buck on a dinged fridge or returned television, while Target sold out of a surprise $150 off deal on PlayStation 5 consoles that customers had to pick up in-store.

Despite challenges for the retail industry in recent years — most significantly, consumers' strained budgets thanks to inflation — Black Friday 2023 seemed a success, nearing, if not back to, pre-pandemic levels. By 1:30 p.m., the Mall of America said its Black Friday foot traffic was up 16% from last year, only 7% below 2019's numbers.

"We just are excited to be here in person and happy to be [doing] normal shopping like before COVID," said Vanessa Cossetta, 42, of Eagan, who was at the mall with her daughter and a group of friends with their kids.

At Dick's House of Sport in Minnetonka, Annika Olson, 17, grabbed a discounted pair of basketball shoes. She drove with a friend from Andover to start her Black Friday shopping tradition.

"I get to save money and spend money at the same time," she said.

While Mall of America staff said people started lining up on Thanksgiving afternoon, a little earlier than last year, other Twin Cities stores didn't see as many early bird shoppers.

Nikki Opsahl was parked among a handful of cars in the parking lot outside Dick's at Ridgedale Center waiting for the doors to open at 6 a.m. She was mostly done with her holiday shopping but wanted to share the experience with her daughters.

"I was trying to explain how it used to be when you'd get there an hour or two early and wait with hundreds of people to rush inside," said Opsahl, of Zimmerman, Minn.

Joan Suko, senior general manager of Ridgedale Center, didn't know what to expect, given that the prevalence of online shopping seemed to irrevocably change Black Friday customs. Still, she deemed the midmorning holiday traffic satisfactory, coming on top of Ridgedale's best-ever year for sales and visits.

"We used to have jam-ups in the parking lot," she said. "That doesn't happen anymore."

Keyah Adams, 29, of Fridley, and her boyfriend David Pekarna, 41, stopped by the Best Buy outlet store in Blaine to look for a deal on dual computer monitors. They didn't find what they wanted, but they spotted a smart fridge discounted by about $2,000, a steal on any day.

"From my experience from doing Black Friday shopping, it's always been such a farce," he said. "[But] there are just some things you can't really get online."

According to a Deloitte survey of hundreds of Twin Cities shoppers, the average amount many plan to spend this holiday in the Minneapolis area is $1,492, basically the same as last year, and 10% less than the national average. They likely won't buy as many gifts or decorations but might splurge on restaurants and concert tickets.

Another Deloitte study projected that from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, shoppers across the country would spend a record $567, up 13% from last year.

"The consumer still values value and sales and savings. ... The perception is that there is great value around Black Friday and Cyber Monday," said Matt Marsh, managing partner of Deloitte's Minneapolis practice.

Marsh cited various factors affecting holiday spending, including the depletion of personal savings during the pandemic, increased use of credit and the resumption of student loan repayments.

"All of these things are just chipping away at how much the consumer can spend this year, and how they're going to spend their dollars," Marsh said.

Samantha Boyd, 32, of Stillwater, said she's adjusted her holiday budget as living costs have been high, including the resumption of student loan payments that add $400 to her monthly costs.

"Child-care costs are astronomical. Grocery costs are triple what they were," she said, emphasizing her family's desire for Black Friday deals with a budget half the size of last year's. "Our dollar is going to stretch a little further."

A survey by professional services firm Accenture found consumers are being more creative this year to make the most of their budgets, with more than one-third intending to consciously buy items — such as board games — they can use all year.

"I think there is this huge piece around the human holiday," said Lori Zumwinkle, a Minneapolis-based managing director and North America retail lead at Accenture. "How do I spend time with the ones that I love?"

Sarah Weitz, 48, of Cottage Grove, stood outside in the sub-20-degree weather, waiting for MOA to open. Not for the deals, but for fun with her sister-in-law and two friends.

"It's more for the experience," she said.

Boyd went to MOA to window-shop at the newly opened Toys 'R' Us with her husband, Joshua, and kids Sebastian, 7, and Lucille, 6, in preparation for a visit with Santa later this weekend. The mom said she had been looking forward to the experience "because we just don't have toy stores anymore where they can get ideas."

"Kids are really tough because their interests change," Boyd said as her daughter showed her a baby panda doll with a pacifier.

Kappa Toys, which had a soft opening Wednesday, was betting more people would want that same participation. Social media is driving toy popularity these days, such as Wild Republic's realistic stuffed animals, Rody inflatable bouncing horses and Sonny Angel dolls.

"Our goal here is to bring back that wow factor," said Lans Sztaimberg, marketing manager for Kappa Toys, who worked the register Friday. "If you are not allowed to touch it, then you might as well buy it on the internet."