A mellow holiday shopping vibe in Boston, as online sales surge nationally

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over and retailers are still counting their revenue. Americans exceeded all estimates and spent a whopping $38 billion online during the first few days of the holiday shopping season according to Adobe Analytics. Consumers pulled $12.4 billion out of their wallets on Cyber Monday alone, setting a new record for the day.

Most of that buying was done from the comfort of consumers' homes, but Black Friday traditions aren't dying out just yet. The National Retail Federation counted more than 76 million brick-and-mortar shoppers this year, more than a 4% increase from 2022 overall.

Helena Gifford, a bookkeeper from Scotland, was among the crowd of shoppers at the Wretham Outlets on Friday. She said she had to arrive early in the morning to get in.

"Even when we left [at] about 4 o'clock, there was a massive queue still trying to get in," Gifford said.

On Sunday, however, Gifford said she had enough time to stroll around Downtown Crossing and Quincy Market. The atmosphere was leisurely at both locations.

Lynn Penau was visiting Quincy Market from Fall River, to celebrate her niece's 18th birthday. The lack of foot traffic surprised her.

"We even found street parking today," she said. "It just seems a little less busy than previous years."

Some retailers are embracing this relaxed pace of Black Fridays. Melissa LaVita, regional marketing director at the Cambridgeside Galleria said the day has grown more family-friendly since the pandemic. This year, Lavita saw many families eating in the food court or snapping family pictures at the mall.

"You definitely see people out there with their shopping bags," she said. "But they are with their families and it seems like a fun day, not crunch time."

The Massachusetts Retailers' Association has predicted a slow shopping season for the state. Association vice president Bill Rennie said he expected a 1% increase in sales.

He said most shoppers were reluctant to spend big due to inflation and unpredictable interest rates. The association will survey local performance later in November.

Not everyone in downtown Boston came for the shopping.

"I'm mainly out here to meet up with family," said Emma Connolly from New Hampshire. Yet some offers still caught her eye at Quincy Market.

"It definitely wasn't hectic," Connolly said. "Really, there are no punches being thrown over deals here today."