There were long lines as early as dawn at the Streets of Brentwood last Black Friday, including shoppers waiting to purchase Sony's new PlayStation 5 at GameStop.
Not this time. The only line at 4 a.m. this Black Friday in Brentwood was at ... Bath & Body Works?
"Usually, I'm up already at this time," Gonzalo Prado told KCBS Radio in front of the store early Friday morning. "My wife told me last night that there was a good deal, so we came through. Might as well spend the $40, get a nice little bag."
"And on top of that, it's buy one, get one free," he added.
Gonzalo and Amanda Prado had "the whole parking lot" to themselves when they arrived at the store, with security saying nary a peep as they drove around twice. The couple didn't have much company, in part because holiday shopping continues to start even sooner.
In Deloitte's survey of holiday retail shoppers, 67% of respondents said they planned to start shopping before Thanksgiving. Just 31% planned to shop on Black Friday, as many stores have started opening their doors later on one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
Karla Martin, a Bay Area-based retail executive with Deloitte, told KCBS Radio's Matt Bigler in an interview that Black Friday had a more "leisurely" pace this year. Some establishments opened as late as 9 a.m.
Deals on televisions, toys and video-game consoles still attracted some big crowds, however, as did a desire for some shoppers to replicate an in-person experience that the COVID-19 pandemic made impossible last year.
"I do think there's also some pent-up demand, just ofr the experience of doing it again," Martin said on Friday morning. "Last year, we saw social distancing. People couldn't do it, and I think this year, some people did it just for the experience of going back to traditions that they hold dear."
The Prados' item of choice? Candles, and the couple arrived before 4 a.m. to grab them.
"It's my big thing, candles," Amanda Prado told KCBS Radio.
"You've gotta do it when they're on sale," she added. "They're buy three, get three."
Candles, she said, are normally $25 a pop.
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