black friday
Black Friday shoppers carry bags of merchandise as they walk at The Pike Outlets in Downtown on Nov. 27, 2020. Photo by Crystal Niebla.

Long Beach locals mostly heeded health experts’ recommendations by staying home Black Friday, a day that would have usually included seas of shoppers inside retail stores.

This year, it was already more sparse, even before Los Angeles County health officials announced new restrictions that will reduce nonessential retailers to 20% maximum occupancy, which will take effect Monday.

And that’s a good thing, according to Shira Shafir, an associate professor of epidemiology and community health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Shopping can be risky because even though “passive spaces,” such as malls, are often outside, the actual shopping space is indoors. “It’s very challenging to ensure that there are six feet of distance all around,” she said.

Instead, she advises curbside pickup and online orders.

But from the small retailers’ perspective, there’s worry that encouraging shopping online will further hurt local businesses.

“What if there’s a huge paradigm shift and, it’s like, that’s just the way it is right now, we order anything online,” said Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement District.

Black Friday customers line up outside of Bob’s Discount Furniture at the Long Beach Towne Center in North Long Beach on Nov. 27, 2020. Photo by Crystal Niebla.

Small businesses, especially, were extra slow today. Maggie Stoll, owner of Burke Mercantile, a clothing store on First Street in Downtown, said she had only made one sale even after being open for more than two hours. “It’s definitely quiet today,” she said.

Many people on social media said they were staying put, and some opted for shopping online if they could afford it.

As an essential worker, Boys & Girls Club of Long Beach employee Denise Collins said she is not going anywhere near a store.

“I refuse to put my health at risk for items I can get online,” she wrote on Twitter. She also said she has asthma, which leaves her more vulnerable to the virus. “My kids are more important,” she said.

While, yes, “Some of the joy of shopping will be taken away,” Shafir, the UCLA professor, said. “… I think the tradeoff is the joy of not getting COVID and protecting families and communities.”

However, many still preferred the full in-person shopping experience despite the risks.

Los Angeles resident María Cuadras, 66, usually visits The Pike Outlets in Long Beach with her family because she thinks the crowd is more calm there.

“I trust in God,” she said in Spanish when asked if she’s afraid of potentially exposing herself to the virus. She said that going out to shop can be a good way to keep your mind off things.

Downtown Long Beach resident Kera Jai said she waited in line for about 10-20 minutes before entering the Nike store at The Pike Outlets. Jai was there hoping to buy a pair of shoes for her girlfriend for Christmas. Nevertheless, she wasn’t feeling fully comfortable with the experience. “It’s a little more anxiety than normal,” she said.

Downey resident Kevin Choi, 35, waited a similar amount of time in a line outside Bob’s Discount Furniture store at the Long Beach Towne Center in North Long Beach, shopping for a couch for himself with his wife. With COVID-19 cases still surging, Choi was also feeling uneasy. How is he dealing with it? “I’m not. I just feel anxious,” he said.

Alena Maschke contributed to this report.