SA shoppers hit early Black Friday deals as retailers start sales sooner than ever. Meanwhile, USPS is fired up for a record holiday shipping season.
SAN ANTONIO — Black Friday has evolved into something closer to “Black November,” as major retailers roll out deals long before Thanksgiving weekend. Amazon began its early holiday promotions in October. Walmart followed with mid-November discounts, and Target launched deep price cuts before Black Friday even arrived.
The shift reflects how American shopping habits are changing — earlier, longer and increasingly online — yet millions still turned out in person for the yearly tradition.
At the Target at Wonderland of the Americas in San Antonio, some of the earliest shoppers lined up for the store’s first-100-customers swag bags, which included small gifts and coupons. Ten of those bags held bonus prizes.
“She’s like, ‘Hey, there’s a goodie bag at Target that they’re offering,’” said shopper Miriam Morales, who learned about the deals from a co-worker. “Then I look in my app and was like — oh yeah!”
Morales said some of the surprise prizes this year ranged from slushie makers to hair dryers and even a $150 gift card. Still, like many shoppers this season, she planned to be cautious with her spending.
“I’m not planning to spend a lot of money because I don’t have the money,” she said. “I’m on a budget.”
She also added that in past years she used to “spend more money and go crazy on Black Fridays,” but the tradition feels different now.
Behind her was a family that traveled from Mexico solely to experience the rush of Black Friday in the United States — even without specific deals in mind. Six relatives, spanning four generations, packed into a van with a trailer attached.
“We’re a little crazy, to tell you the truth,” said Luis Sanchez, laughing. “People start lining up at 4 a.m., but we came here at about 10 p.m. [the night before], and there were already a couple of people in line.”
Sanchez said the family has been making the trip for nearly 30 years, except during the pandemic. “We connect a trailer to the van and we fill it with whatever we can,” he said. “It’s craziness, but it’s a tradition and we love it!”
His grandmother, Mirasol Ordoñez, said the excitement isn’t the sales — it’s the feeling.
“We wanted the feeling of being in the line and finding the best coupons to buy things,” she said. “The feeling of being here on Black Friday is a family tradition.”
She said they hadn’t even researched the specific giveaways beforehand.
“We didn’t know exactly what we would find. That’s why we didn’t come with chairs or blankets,” she said. “The feeling of making a line, wondering what we might get or what they may give us… it’s fun!”
According to the National Retail Federation, a record 186.9 million people are expected to shop between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday this year, spending an average of $890.49 each on gifts, food, décor and other holiday items.
As more of those purchases migrate online, the U.S. Postal Service is preparing for a record-setting holiday season of its own. The agency’s nationwide holiday mail counter— which tracks every letter, card and package entering the network — activated Friday and had already surpassed 1.2 billion mail pieces by midday.
USPS officials said the agency has spent the past five years modernizing its network to handle the surge.
“We’ve added over 600 package-sorting machines, which has increased our daily capacity from 60 million to 88 million pieces a day,” said Becky Hernandez, a strategic communications specialist with USPS.
Hernandez said the agency has also expanded its facilities, upgraded scanning technology for improved tracking, and introduced new delivery vehicles across the country.
“The customers — their needs have changed. There’s a lot of online shipping,” she said. “We’re just trying to keep up and be as efficient as we can for them.”
Holiday planning begins early for USPS. “This is our busiest season, so we start planning in January,” Hernandez said. She added that many customers also save and prepare all year for holiday shopping, and USPS aims to match that commitment. “People prepare for this holiday season and save and plan for it all year long. So we’re ready for them!”
To handle the increased volume, the Postal Service hired 14,000 seasonal employees nationwide.
“Our equipment is fired up. Our delivery vehicles are fired up, and all our employees are fired up,” Hernandez said. “We’re ready to deliver a great season for everybody.”
USPS is encouraging customers to ship early. Recommended deadlines include Dec. 17 for Ground Advantage, Dec. 18 for Priority Mail and Dec. 20 for Priority Mail Express.
The company also offered tips for safe and efficient mailing: use sturdy boxes, cover up all previous labels, write addresses legibly, avoid red ink, place a duplicate address label inside the package in case the exterior label is damaged, and package fragile items separately. Customers traveling for the holidays can sign up for informed delivery or place a hold on their mail through USPS.com.