CHARLOTTESVILLE (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — With Thanksgiving upon us, so is the Holiday season, and just like every year, it’s set to kick off in the retail world today with the arrival of Black Friday.

The annual tradition sees retailers around the country lowering their prices as shoppers begin their Holiday shopping, both in-person and online. The unofficial holiday of sorts has expanded over the years, and even led to some off-shoots like Cyber Monday, but local business owners in Charlottesville say the day isn’t quite what it used to be.

Monique Moshier, owner of The Happy Cook, grew up in retail. Her parents owned a bookstore in Southern California when she was a kid, and she has owned The Happy Cook for over 20 years. 

When she reflected on how Black Friday has changed over the years, she said what once was a day that just kept getting bigger every year, led in particular by tech retailers like Best Buy, was completely shaken up by the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020.

“I would say what a lot of people think of with that kind of, people spending the night overnight some place to get some kind of special deal or whatever, be first in line, and people elbowing each other to get the four TVs on the doorbuster,” she said. “Honestly, I don’t know if that really exists anymore.”

Instead, she said Black Friday has become less of a single-day event, and more of a week-long sale. What once was just Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, what retailers referred to as “No-name Sunday,” and Cyber Monday has now become a 10-day period that began this year late last week on Nov. 20 and will continue until Dec. 1.

“It’s just a whole week event,” she said. “For none of [the big-box retailers] is the physical day, Black Friday, a big deal anymore. It’s all spread out over the week.”

For Tiffany Smith, owner of The Virginia Shop, her focus has always been on Small Business Saturday as opposed to the more big-box focused Black Friday. 

“My staff needs to rest up for the busy season,” she said, “so we have our normal operating hours [on Friday], and then we really focus on Small Business Saturday.”

Amanda Stevens, who owns Shenanigans Toys and Games, said she has similarly shifted her focus toward the whole weekend of Black Friday, with online promotions going live at 12:01 a.m on Thanksgiving Day.

“It’s kind of trying to find a balance that works for my family and the families of my employees, and then also our customers, who do turn out for our sales,” she said.

But the bottom line is regardless of how early or how long Black Friday goes, all three business owners said the day itself is just the beginning of a busy holiday season. In fact, all three said their busiest days of the year actually come much closer to Christmas itself, particular that weekend before.

“I know Christmas falls on the same day every year,” Smith said, “but we all get lost in whatever we’re doing and forget and buy gifts at the last minute. It’s just a thing.”

Still, while Black Friday may no longer live up to its reputation as the biggest shopping day of the year, it is the kickoff to the Holiday season, one that the National Retail Federation projects will bring in over $1 trillion in retail sales for the first time ever this year.

“This is when, the seasonal staff that I’ve brought on and have been training, like this is it, they have to be ready by Black Friday,” Stevens said. “They say, ‘Oh we’re so busy right now, We’re so busy right now.” And the experienced staff is all saying, ‘Just wait. Just wait’ That’s really the first kickoff of the busy holiday shopping season for us.”

And to commemorate that kickoff, The Virginia Shop, Shenanigans and the Happy Cook will all be kicking off the holiday season with their own deals and events this weekend. 

The Virginia Shop will be celebrating its 35th Anniversary on Small Business Saturday during the Barracks Holiday Parade. They’ll be offering 20% off storewide all day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., while also offering hot cider and cookies to customers.

Shenanigans will be offering a surprise discount at checkout this year, with customers receiving anywhere from 10-40% off both in-person and online from Thursday through Sunday. Any order over $100 will also include an entry into a raffle for a gift pack for Boar’s Head’s Winter Wander event.

The store will also be working with the Toy Lift to do a “Fill the Jeep” event on Saturday to provide gifts for local children, with the surprise checkout discounts also applying to any donations for the event.

The Happy Cook will also be offering discounts on a few specific special items as well as some blanket discounts for Black Friday.

“It’s never a bad thing to stop into places on Black Friday,” Moshier said, “because they do generally have some special things to offer.”