WITNER PARK, Fla. – Black Friday has a different look to it this year. Fewer shoppers are in stores, and more are buying online.

What You Need To Know

  • Black Friday looks different this year

  • Fewer shoppers in store, while more buying online

  • Cybertron Video Games owner says business has been good

In fact, $5.1 billion was spent online Thursday.

Pascale Charles always powers up when it’s time to shop on Black Friday. 

“My family and I have been Black Friday shopping since I was literally in diapers," Charles said, while wearing a mask inside Cybertron Video Games. "We would wake up early to go hit the malls and everything.”

This year she’s a different type of gamer for the experience.

“I was a little leery because we are in a pandemic," Charles said. "We only hit small spots and said let's stay low-key today and not try to go to the mall or anything.”

Cybertron Video Games shop owner Gus Sepulveda says due to the pandemic his business has been good this year. Traditionally his store is open on Thanksgiving night, but this year he decided to hit the pause button on that for the anticipation of Black Friday.

“With COVID we wanted to make sure everything was safe, store is nice and sanitized," Sepulveda said. "We wanted to get everything nice and cleaned up before we open for Black Friday.”

Black Friday through Cyber Monday isn’t just for shoppers trying to find a good deal. Businesses like Cybertron not only rely on strong sales, but the opportunity to sell items they have a tough time selling with out a sale price on it.

“We are moving inventory we have never moved before," Sepulveda said happily. "It's a big help between now and then, better now than it is most of the year.”

For shoppers like Pascale, this year’s Black Friday shopping just isn’t as super as it traditionally has been.

“It’s exciting," Charles starts to say. "Everyone loves doing it, you get great deals, everyone is getting ready for Christmas it just puts you in that Christmas and Thanksgiving mode.

Like big box stores Cybertron is limiting how many shoppers can be in the store at once to ten, it also extended store hours to help accommodate those who may have to wait.

In 2019, Cyber Monday hit a record in sales with $9.2 billion. ​