HONOLULU (KHON2) – Black Friday has changed a lot over the years. Instead of crowds rushing into stores for one day of big deals, many shoppers now spread out their purchases over several days before and after Thanksgiving.

This shift comes from the rise of online shopping and the way the pandemic changed people’s buying habits.

According to Capital One Shopping, online shopping became more popular than in-store shopping back in 2019. Even with this rise in online buying, plenty of people across the U.S. still enjoy going to stores in person.

Last year, Hawaii had the highest retail sales tax per person at $976.98. The average online sales tax across the U.S. was about $176.04 per person.

People in Hawaii are also about 9% less likely to shop online compared to the national average, based on a 2024 study from Capital One Shopping report. That means many local shoppers still like going to stores and seeing what they’re buying.

At the same time, Hawaii residents are slightly more likely to make weekly online purchases, which shows they rely on online shopping for regular, everyday needs.

“Online shopping is something we all use now, but Black Friday feels different,” he said. “Going out to the stores makes it feel more like a tradition and it’s nice to get out of the house instead of buying everything on a screen.”

Kaimana Trujillo, Local Hawaii Shopper

Because of trends like these, the tradition of Black Friday in Hawaii has shifted, but not disappeared. Online shopping continues to grow, yet many residents still take part in the in-person experience.

Hawaii also makes a lot of money from online shopping. The state sees about $28.2 billion in online retail revenue each year and collects more than $1.13 billion in taxes from those purchases.

Although online shopping keeps expanding, Hawaii remains committed to its in-store shopping culture and there is nowhere more evident than on Black Friday.

Source link