Is Black Friday 2021 Canceled?

The holidays are just around the corner, which means that Black Friday 2021 will be here before you know it. If you thought that holiday shopping last year was chaotic with COVID-19 restrictions, this year isn’t expected to be “back to normal”. In fact, the new changes that face holiday shopping sales events this year are rumored to be paving the way for a new normal. 

Despite the lifting of (most) physical shopping restrictions, supply chains are still experiencing backlogs that are only going to worsen when holiday shopping takes off at the end of this month. 

You’ve probably experienced the frustration of supply chain shortages at some point this year, as spending in the first nine months of 2021 is over 14% higher than it was during the same period last year. Stimulus checks, physical store closings, and pure boredom has led to historic increases in online shopping that suppliers weren’t—and couldn’t be—prepared for. As you can imagine, going into the holiday shopping season with empty shelves isn’t a good start for anyone, shoppers and retailers alike, and will only increase the wait times for restocking. 

These supply chain shortages and delays, combined with the spike in inflation, have caused major changes to the holiday shopping playing field this year. The changes are designed to lessen the impact on retailers and are causing negative effects on buyers, especially those who are late to the game.

Truth is, if you haven’t started your holiday shopping yet, you’re behind. Don’t panic, though, because a perk of early Black Friday deals is that many stores are having multiple sales throughout the holiday season to lessen the impact of what’s typically the biggest shopping day of the year.

Retailers like Sephora, Macy’s, and Amazon have had sales starting as early as July that were specifically planned to replace the traditionally single Black Friday sales event. 

Despite the timeline of holiday sales getting divided and pushed forward, the deals that many retailers are promoting are underwhelming compared to previous years. Since stores will be having multiple mini sales events, the discounts will also be scaled down from the typical doorbuster deals you’d get for the one-day Black Friday sale. 

Because stores are missing out on additional revenue they’d be getting from inventory that’s currently held up in the supply chain backlog, they simply can’t afford to offer major discounts as they have in years past. Offering scaled-down savings also avoids a further pile-up of online orders for items not in stock in stores. 

Unfortunately, as a result, buyers are missing out on these additional savings and opportunities to purchase specific items on their loved ones’ lists.

If you’re holding off on your holiday shopping expecting bigger deals later this month, you may be disappointed when Black Friday 2021 rolls around and your favorite retailer is offering the same deals they have been throughout the past few months. Also, you risk your item going out of stock. 

Start your holiday shopping ASAP, if you haven’t already, and keep this in mind for next year. Many retailers may have plans to make these holiday sales changes permanent.