Shoppers on a holiday hunt

Black Friday deals draw people to stores across the Los Angeles area and U.S. amid economic anxiety

- BY CAROLINE PETROW-COHEN, CHRISTOPHER BUCHANAN AND GAVIN J. QUINTON

RONALDO BOLANOS Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES resident Katarina Dukic tries on a watch at the Fossil store Friday at the Citadel Outlets.

Black Friday shoppers flocked to stores, hoping to get more bags for their buck as they grapple with inflation, tariffs and anxiety about the health of the economy.

The Citadel Outlets in City of Commerce was mobbed Friday morning with long waits for parking and winding lines in front of stores as consumers tried to grab good deals.

Camila Romero and her 13-year-old daughter spent hours in line trying to get the best possible deals on Ugg and Coach items on their wish lists.

"You come to the Citadel because it's outlets. And it's discounts on top of that," she said. "So even when you're broke, you don't feel it."

Shoppers across the Los Angeles area plan to spend less this holiday season, data show. Although retailers tease their biggest deals and prepare for what they hope is robust demand, a Deloitte survey found that L.A. area consumers plan to spend 14% less over the holidays compared with last year.

Nationally, shoppers are expected to spend 10% less than last year.

Consumers are pulling back on spending in response to economic uncertainty and rising prices, said Rebecca Lohrey, a partner at De-loitte with expertise in retail and e-commerce.

“There is at least a perception of higher prices and higher costs of goods,” Lohrey said. “That is a concern for consumers across the board, and is one of the reasons they’re tightening their wallets a little bit.”

The survey found that 62% of shoppers in the L.A. area expect the economy to weaken in the year ahead, up from 34% in 2024. Around the same percentage of respondents said they are concerned about a potential recession in the next six months.