As I was home for Thanksgiving break, I took the opportunity to complete this final short assignment. Shopping on Black Friday has been a tradition that my mom, sister, and I have upheld. We stayed consistent visiting Woodbury Commons for a few years. Last year, I decided to work on Black Friday but then realized I was not getting paid time and a half. This year, I continued the tradition with my family in going to Danbury Mall in Connecticut. This mall is twice the size of Woodbury with twice the amount of stores. On my Christmas list is a pair of white Adidas sneakers, specifically the “Forum Low Shoes.”
During the first experiment, I had feelings of excitement and anxiousness. With Christmas being right around the corner, shoes sell out fast. Everyone wants to rock the newest look, myself included. Adidas sneakers have been around for a long time and the number of styles they come in is incredible. The shoe I wanted was presented in the color of “Cloud White” which had lace closure, leather upper, textile lining and a rubber outsole. I started on the Adidas website and then moved to Amazon, DSW, then Footlocker. My goal was to find the same shoe for the lowest price. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to check out each website and compare prices and reviews. This process was done from the comfort of my own bed at home, in pajamas, under a cozy blanket.
During the second experiment, I felt eager to visit the Danbury Mall to explore my shoe options. The only store that was available to me in person that I visited online was Footlocker. This store was extremely overwhelming along with exceeding the maximum amount of people allowed in the store at once. I like my in-person shopping experience to feel calm and relaxed. Spending 45 minutes browsing felt rushed in this environment. You always feel like you are in someone’s way along with my family pressuring me to decide on what to buy. As I am browsing in the Adidas section, an employee came up to me once every five minutes to ask if I needed help. Granted, I never found the same shoe and did need help, but wanted to experience browsing on my own. After the 45 minutes were up, my family was begging me to leave the store so we could continue with the rest of our shopping.
The first experiment was much more enjoyable and successful than the second. I was able to take my time scrolling through websites than I was standing in the middle of chaos. I did not have the stressor of my family waiting for me along with feeling I had to make a purchase when I entered the store. There is an unsatisfying feeling when you walk out of a store without buying anything. I wasted time when I could have been searching elsewhere. My family did not want to leave me in a store by myself due to the commotion of Black Friday. I did not have the luxury of comparing prices or reviews. I like to investigate the logistics to know if the shoe is worth buying. I understand I am physically present in the store to try on the shoe and there is a risk of getting the wrong size online. I have bought so many shoes online that I am willing to take that risk. I felt peaceful when no one was bothering me during my shopping.
If I were in an environment that was more tame than Black Friday, I would agree with Guriel that we should do more browsing. However, in this experience, I preferred scrolling. I did not meander from my goal and scroll on meaningless websites for hours. I made a priority to stick to one pair of shoes without being sucked into other websites or ads. I enjoyed playing out both experiments along with solidifying my love for shopping.
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I like that you acknowledge that your shopping experience was different from the norm due to it being black friday, which influenced the way you specifically chose to shop! It is definitely important to note that in your experiment, not only for your sake but for the sake of the reader. I find that many people I know just dedicate that Friday to shopping and therefore allow themselves to browse and stumble on deals they may feel are appealing, or weigh their options based on line length.
Hi Marin!
I also used Black Friday to my advantage LOL. I didn’t really talk about how my experience was different because of it though, so I’m really glad that you did! I also had a hard time shopping because of a time constraint 🥲. Time is a really interesting concept when it comes down to shopping, because I feel like we don’t really realize just how much time goes into shopping until we’re leaving the mall and it’s dark out. Oh well. Maybe next year we’ll get lucky with our shopping!
Wonderful job!!
Hi Marin!
I’m glad you took advantage of Black Friday to try this experiment! It was interesting to read your story from that perspective. Based on how you described your in-person shopping experience, I would be stressed out too! I find that shopping online is very relieving for me, especially since it minimizes the pressure of crowds, employees, and your family rushing you out of the store. The cozy blanket and PJs definitely help improve the experience!
Hi Marin,
That feeling of being pressured while shopping is something that I think all of us can relate to. However, the Auntie Annes in the mall seems to always make up for it
I agree with you that because this experiment was during Black Friday, the in store shopping experience may had shown drawbacks that may have not be seen if the experiment was done any other week. Do you feel that the amount of people shopping in-store during Black Friday has decreased or remained the same over the years? This year I saw many stores advertising that their sales were starting two days before Black Friday.
Hey Marin! This post made me think back to when Black Friday was only in-store, when I would watch the news and see waves of people pushing into stores to get the shoes they wanted. I can completely understand you preferring to shop online, especially when trying to browse by yourself without the aid of store clercs.
I for one, have never gone Black Friday shopping, and I think after reading this I might just keep it that way. I always default to scrolling especially when I need to find something cheaper in the store. I like how you included the detail about your family rushing you since I totally get how this can make your browsing much less enjoyable.
I think your conclusions are so fascinating! I agree that shopping when the store is super busy makes the task exceedingly less enjoyable. I personally prefer shopping when there’s only a few people around and there’s room to breath. However, I also think that when it comes to shoes, trying them on and walking around in them to test their comfort is essential to the buying process, and therefore buying shoes in-person may be more convenient.
The blog post on objectstudies.net offers a reflective comparison between online and in-person shopping experiences during the holiday season, highlighting the convenience of digital browsing versus the challenges of crowded physical stores. For a seamless online shopping experience with a wide selection of shoes in Pakistan, visit Shoes.pk.