Stores bank on big Black Friday, online scammers prowl for unsuspecting shoppers
It's the most alluring yet dangerous time of the year for Coachella Valley consumers. From steals to scams, from buyers to businesses, from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.
Here in the Golden State, consumers began preparing for their shopping a little earlier than everyone else. Californians started their Black Friday online shopping at 4:31 a.m. on average, just ahead of the national average of 4:36 a.m., according to a study from Red Stag Fulfillment of 3,000 shoppers.
"I woke up at 1:30am," Kelly Stout, the General Manager of the JC Penny in Palm Desert said.
For Stout, this stretch of days is known as No Sleep November. Her enthusiasm seems to power her through the rush of the crowd, and a crowd is what she wants.
"We are competing, we are here for the customer," she explained. "JC Penny is all about the customer. we really want to get people through the door. We really want to save them money."
Stores this year are competing for your dollars. Stores like Target, Kohls, and JC Penny are offering a variety of things to customers to get them through the door. Kohl's put on a sweepstakes for their first 200 customers, and Target offered two Taylor Swift related exclusives in stores for Black Friday only.
"What's so amazing about this year is we had a, 5 a.m. giveaway when we first opened the doors. We've already had a 9 a.m. giveaway."
Stout explained the JC Penny in Palm Desert had already had several give-aways in the morning for customers, and was planning more through the day.
"We have an upcoming 1 p.m. giveaway, which is a pair of diamond one carat stud earrings," she said. "And the coolest thing that we have, even though diamonds are pretty cool, is at 5 p.m. we are giving away a golden tote, and then inside the golden toe is a 10% off coupon to use throughout the entire holiday season."
For retail stores, Black Friday, makes a big difference and presents an opportunity they hope to capitalize on.
With nearly 6,200 stores closing in 2024, that's the worst pace since the pandemic.
Foresight Research
That is more than the 5,500 closures in 2023, and the highest number since 2020
Consumers are expected to break spending records on Black Friday this year, with the average person expected to spend a little over $1,000, that's a 14 percent increase from last year according to data from RetailMeNot.
85 million shoppers are expected to visit stores this year from now through Christmas, with Black Friday being the busiest. An increase of 9 million from last year.
And that's nothing compared to online shopping…. In 2023 alone, more than 90 million consumers shopped online, and that number is expected to be even larger by the time Black Friday of 2024 is all said and done.
"People don't go out as much. they shop online but shopping online is scary can't touch it, feel it, see it, know the quality of it," Stout said.
But if you are shopping online, experts warn, it's important to be aware of scams and bad actors online.
"The most important thing is awareness of the threats. Cyber security is an ever-changing field."
Abraham Montez is a cyber security expert in Palm Desert.
Montez explained that with more online shoppers this weekend, more scammers will be trying to get real in their victims with fake pop-ups.
"Click on this link for lower prescription cost, click on this lick for sweet deals," Montez explained.
Not just shopping but on social media.
"More of the senior community uses Facebook, so they're mainly targeted with these ads," he said.
Staying safe online shopping can mean taking just 1 step.
- Only using a credit card to buy
- Never using public wi-fi
- Keep a sharp eye out for phishing links and fake ads.If it looks too good, it probably is.
All to ensure the trend of today.
"This the best holiday we've had yet," Stout said.
Continues tomorrow.
For more information on consumer safety steps to take while Black Friday shopping visit this link.
For details on how to shop online safety from now through Cyber Monday, visit this link.
