As November 27th is approaching, people are waiting for the commencement of the annual Black Friday deals and sales. Black Friday is known for being complete chaos, with malls being packed and customers even camping out in front of stores before they open. However, with the pandemic, we are all wondering what to do for this year’s Black Friday as indoor shopping is a safety concern under current circumstances.

According to San Francisco’s indoor operation guideline, malls can operate at most to 50% of normal maximum capacity, and 25% capacity for the food courts. The capacity rate may change depending on the tier that the county is at. Stores must provide face coverings for the public and workers. Clothing must be cleaned every time a customer tries it on. Besides that, customers are requested to pack their own items if they brought their own bags to avoid unnecessary physical contact.

The Westfield San Francisco Center puts these measures into action by disinfecting common areas, particularly busy locations such as restrooms, seating, dining, and play areas. In addition, at the convenience of employees and shoppers, the officials have set up sanitizer stations and signage to remind shoppers and workers to take safety precautions in the center.

Although there are a lot of protocols in place, Black Friday still poses a public safety risk. In the past, the Black Friday shopping experience was always chaotic, packed, and disorganized. For this year, Black Friday may be especially popular since many people are feeling financial strain due to economic and employment issues caused by COVID-19. Many consumers will likely take the chance to purchase items with price savings.

However, Black Friday will be more like a shopping season than a day this year. Some stores have already started to offer deals right now. So, it may not be as crowded as usual since things are spread out. Plus, there are limitations on the amount of indoor visitors, which can prevent overcrowding. As long as the public follows the new COVID-19 guidelines, the risk of going to indoor malls can be minimized. In addition, an alternate solution of overflowing at the mall is shopping online on Black Friday instead of physically going to the store. Curbside pickup, private appointments shopping, and visual shopping appointments will be also available to customers as well.

“I’m going in person with my brother and dad. We are going to wake up at 5 to get ready, and go with our list of shops we want to go to,” said NDB sophomore Sofia Frisz about her Black Friday plans. “We plan how much time we want to spend in each shop depending on when the shops open and close. We will for sure wear our masks and social distance too.”

As this Black Friday approaches, many people will have to choose whether they feel safe participating in in-person shopping. However, luckily there are also many ways to shop online. For those who love the experience or tradition of Black Friday shopping though, this year will be very different.