Customers line up for the opening of Macy's at Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Mall in Skokie of Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, the United States, on Nov. 26, 2021. Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area. Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
CHICAGO, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area.
On Friday, Best Buy opened its door to welcome shoppers at 5 a.m., Macy's started operation at 6 a.m., and Target began business at 7 a.m.
Hordes of customers flooded into the Fashion Outlet located in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago, and instantly a line formed at the door of many stores.
After being foot-strapped at home since COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have grown more comfortable returning to bricks-and-mortar stores, and a larger share is expected to head to the mall rather than shop from a laptop on the couch at home, Chicago Tribune reported. About 64 percent of consumers surveyed by the National Retail Federation (NRF) said they planned to shop in stores on Black Friday, up from 51 percent last year.
NRF is also forecasting record holiday sales of 843.4 billion dollars or more during November and December, up 8.5 percent compared with last year.
Due to supply chain issues, many shoppers have got a head start in shopping, as consumers spent 72.4 billion dollars online in October, up 8 percent compared with the same month last year, the local media quoted Adobe data. Adobe Digital Economy Index tracks online spending during the holiday season.
Another feature of this year's Black Friday holiday shopping is that deep discounts could be harder to come by, as the supply is limited. Adobe forecast discounts would range from 5 percent to 25 percent across categories this year, compared with 10 percent to 30 percent in past years.
Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. Enditem
A customer carries her purchases during Black Friday shopping at Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont of Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, the United States, on Nov. 26, 2021. Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area. Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
People line up to enter a store during Black Friday shopping at Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont of Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, the United States, on Nov. 26, 2021. Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area. Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
Customers shop at a store during Black Friday shopping at Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont of Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, the United States, on Nov. 26, 2021. Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area. Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
People line up to enter a store during Black Friday shopping at Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont of Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, the United States, on Nov. 26, 2021. Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area. Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
Shoppers carry their purchases during Black Friday shopping at Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont of Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, the United States, on Nov. 26, 2021. Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area. Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
A shopper carries her purchases during Black Friday shopping at Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont of Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, the United States, on Nov. 26, 2021. Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area. Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
People walk into a Best Buy store in Evanston of Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, the United States, on Nov. 26, 2021. Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area. Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
Shoppers carry their purchases during Black Friday shopping at Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont of Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, the United States, on Nov. 26, 2021. Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area. Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
Customers shop at a store during Black Friday shopping at Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont of Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, the United States, on Nov. 26, 2021. Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area. Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
A customer carries her purchases during Black Friday shopping at Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont of Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, the United States, on Nov. 26, 2021. Black Friday shopping is coming back this year, at least in the Greater Chicago Area. Chicago-area shoppers are expected to spend about 62 percent of their holiday budget online and about 33 percent in stores, a holiday shopping survey from Deloitte shows. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)