"It used to be madness," Dominick Reuter wrote in a recent Business Insider piece headlined "16 photos show how unhinged Black Friday shopping used to be." He recalled that just a few years ago, Black Friday shopping "was practically synonymous with sleepless nights, shivering shoppers, and more than a few emergency response calls. Urged on by retailers, U.S. shoppers used to go truly wild for Black Friday, with mega deals that had people lined up outside for hours after (or instead of) having a turkey dinner with their loved ones."
The craziness was reaching a fever pitch until the Covid pandemic shut down the mob scenes in 2020. Black Friday never quite recovered its old mojo, with "the rise of e-commerce and deals that seem to start in September" (or even earlier) making holiday sales and shopping "more subdued and drawn out," Reuter noted.
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| At Mitzi's Books | |
For indie booksellers, it's more complicated, but in a good way mostly. Even 25 years ago, our bookstore's sales were often higher on Christmas Eve than Black Friday. Now Indies First/Small Business Saturday has become the focus, expanding the weekend so that Black Friday is just one part of a celebration that also includes Plaid Friday, Cider Monday, and Giving Tuesday.
Festivities prep actually begins much sooner, as Mitzi's Books, Rapid City, S.Dak., noted earlier this month: "Small Business Saturday is only 3 weeks away but it's never too early to support local businesses!"
The Well-Read Moose in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, has come up with its own solution to the day after Thanksgiving: "Join us for Moose Friday & Small Business Saturday! We're celebrating the start of the holiday season with TWO days of deals, prizes, and fun!... Come shop small, support local, and find the perfect gifts for everyone on your list. We can't wait to see you this holiday weekend!"
And the Book Nook, Menominee, Mich., advises: "Skip the Chaos--Join Us for NOT Black Friday!... No crowds. No stress. No 5 a.m. alarm clocks. Just cozy bookstore vibes and amazing deals."
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| At Booksmart Eastridge | |
But before Black Friday, we have to get through Thanksgiving, of course. Indie booksellers are checking in with their pre-season preparations, including BookSmart Eastridge, San Jose, Calif. ("The #turkey isn't quite done yet but... the twinkle lights are already warming up.") and A Book Place, Riverhead, N.Y. (Thanksgiving inspo all around the shop!").
And while Black Friday may not be the frenzied day-of-all-sales-days it once was, it still marks an unofficial start to the holiday season. Other booksellers getting ready in their own ways include:
Our Town Books, Jacksonville, Ill.: "Pardon the mess! We are going full Clark Griswald in here with a little Charles Dickens so you know... it's a Christmas mess."
Coal & Finn, the bookseller cats at From My Shelf Books & Gifts, Wellsboro, Pa., have been "resting up before the Christmas season. It's not too early to start."
And Highland Books, Brevard, N.C., posted: "Out with the old and in with new. We are gearing up and starting to install our new holiday window!"
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| At the Book Lounge | |
Folks at the New Romantics Books, Orlando, Fla., are "praying for the store stress to go away.... Here's to a stress free holiday season (ft. our favorite UPS driver Brian)."
One sign of the season hasn't happened yet, but I suspect it will within the next few days: that first sighting of an SUV with a Christmas tree strapped to the roof rack.
I have, however, seen my first book trees of the year, at the Book Lounge in St. Petersburg, Fla. ("It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at The Book Lounge.") and Cottage Books, Glen Arbor, Mich. ("Holiday Children's Book Drive Begins Today!... join us in spreading joy through the gift of reading.")
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| Chatham Bookstore | |
For most booksellers, this is also the season of giving. Chatham Bookstore, Chatham, N.Y., noted: "As the holiday season approaches, we feel compelled to speak out for and assist our neighbors in need--in the wealthiest country in the world, no one should go hungry. For the entire month of November, we're donating the profits from cookbook sales to local organizations that feed our community. So if there's a cookbook on your holiday gift list, this is a great time to come by the store and pick it up."
Book Culture in New York City is "partnering with the Interchurch Center Holiday Toy and Book Drive! Choose an ornament from our giving tree at 112th and find the perfect gift that matches! Then leave it with us and we'll donate. Do it for the kids!!"
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| Community shelf at the Folded Leaf | |
My favorite Thanksgiving story this year comes from Cedar, Mich., where Rachel Zemenek opened the Folded Leaf bookstore last spring. It has since "become a hub for community support, offering new and used books, art, music, and a 'community shelf' stocked with essentials like food, toiletries, and hygiene products," UpNorthLive reported.
Zemenek said that as much as she loves books, she wanted the store also to serve the community. With Thanksgiving approaching, she reached out to local schools to identify families in need of a meal. Out of those conversations came a three-day Thanksgiving Meal Box Program cook-a-thon, with plans to serve families with pre-cooked, portioned meals. In addition to the meals, each family will receive a bag of groceries.
"There are now 65 families on the list for the Folded Leaf to feed. So that's about 325 people, which is overwhelming, but amazing," said Zemenek, adding that she believes in the power of community and the lessons found in books: "There are lessons in every single book, even if it is some crazy out of this world fantasy, there's always a lesson that you can learn from a book on how to be a better steward of love and relationship and community."