HOUSTON, Texas – It’s Black Friday, and for many Houston families, those early-morning store runs are less about the thrill of a bargain and more about stretching every dollar.
With the cost of groceries, household items, and everyday essentials continuing to climb, shoppers are waking up before sunrise downtown, in the Heights, and across the suburbs, looking to save wherever they can. And one place they’re flocking to: Walmart.
KPRC 2’s T.J. Parker was live Friday morning at the Walmart on Yale, where crowds started forming before doors even opened.
Shoppers tell us this year feels different.
Despite Black Friday looking familiar, packed parking lots, carts full before breakfast, lines snaking through aisles, the motivation behind the rush is shifting. Instead of chasing big-screen TVs or the latest gadgets, families are hunting for savings on the things they buy every week.
That mirrors national data. As household budgets get tighter, more people are turning to big-box stores for basics, and Walmart is one of the few retailers reporting stronger numbers this season. The company’s U.S. sales climbed last quarter as shoppers made more frequent trips and filled their carts with lower-cost essentials.
Some stores are bracing for a slower holiday season, but at locations around Houston, Walmart is seeing the opposite — a steady stream of customers trying to beat rising prices wherever they can.
For many Houstonians, Black Friday isn’t just a tradition anymore. It’s a strategy.
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