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Black Friday Plus Covid Add Up to Crunch Time for Retailers
- Stores have hastily adopted new ways to get goods to shoppers
- Pickup options will be tested by wave of holiday demand
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The formula for retailers on Black Friday is usually pretty simple: Cut prices, stock shelves, prepare for crowds and make sure orders arrive on time. This year -- like everything in 2020 -- it’s anything but.
America’s biggest apparel retailers and department stores are anxious ahead of the crucial holiday period. That’s because all the new tools they’ve hastily rolled out and scaled up amid the global pandemic, like in-store and curbside pickup and direct shipping from stores, haven’t really been battle-tested. So if they fail, an already disastrous year could get that much worse.