The #1 Reason People Shop In-Store on Black Friday Isn't What You'd Expect

We have always wondered why — with the mounting evidence that proves that most Black Friday deals appear online — people continue to shop in-store rather than chill at home once the shopping holiday (and Thanksgiving itself) rolls around. Sure, there are some mind-boggling deals out there, but many of them end up online either via the same store's e-commerce site, or through some competitive price adjustments. (We're looking at you, Amazon.) Plus, getting the in-store offers that are actually worth the effort, requires extreme measures.

We recently polled our readers, however, and discovered the root of the in-store hype: People want to see what all the fuss is about. A healthy 38% of people who are planning on shopping in-store this year cited "the experience" or excitement as their driving motivation for doing so. We've all heard about how crazy it can get, and some of us want to witness this first hand.

Further supporting the notion that people just want to see the hype first-hand, is the fact that 23% of the people who shopped in-store last year (on Thanksgiving or Black Friday) have decided to instead shop online this year. These folks likely experienced all the craziness of in-store shopping, and decided they didn't need to do it again. And is it all that surprising, when 66% of online Black Friday shoppers say they prefer buying online because it's more convenient? (And, you can shop in your underwear if you stay home.)

For more insight into the minds of budget-savvy Black Friday shoppers, check out our full survey results in the infographic below. Then, let us know how you plan to shop this Black Friday in the comments.

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