Pandemic’s second Black Friday in Hawaii sees short lines but plenty of deals

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Black Friday in Hawaii started early for some shoppers, with lines forming at malls and popular stores.

But the lines were not nearly as long as before the pandemic ― and the crowds not nearly as big. Stores, meanwhile, said they started offering “Black Friday deals” well before the actual day.

Jerome Aroni woke up early to scout for deals at Pearlridge Center’s Tanoa Hawaii.

“I’m always a fan of their stuff,” he said. “I like to get some sales on it.”

Another shopper arrived at Ala Moana Center at 2 a.m. worried that she would miss the big deals. Instead, she found plenty of parking.

“I’m hoping to get all my Christmas shopping done,” she said.

Many retailers say Black Friday this year isn’t a one-day event, but more like a week-long one. And customers aren’t just snapping up deals in person but online.

There’s also anecdotal evidence that Hawaii shoppers are choosing to shop local. Many small businesses said they saw healthy turnouts on Black Friday.

After a tough year, they’re hopeful about the Christmas shopping season.

“We’re kind of tired of whole lockdown,” said Aaron Forsgren, owner of Tanoa Hawaii. “We just want to have a normal life. And so it’s awesome. We’re so grateful for everybody that came out.”

Pearlridge Center General Manager David Cianelli said there was an energy among shoppers on Black Friday. “We’re being safe as well,” he said. “So we are definitely moving forward.”

Douglas Simmons, manager at Razor Concepts, said he also saw strong traffic Friday.

“They’re just looking for the deals that you can get,” he said. “Because once something sells out here, we may not get it in for a couple of more months.”

This story will be updated.

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