The “retail apocalypse” was nowhere to be seen at the popular Irvine Spectrum Center the morning of Black Friday.
Brittany Chang/Insider
When I arrived at the palm tree-lined Irvine Spectrum Center shortly before 8:30 a.m., I was greeted by a stream of cars scouring open parking spots.
Brittany Chang/Insider
And despite the relatively early hours, the mall was already bustling with people.
Brittany Chang/Insider
But there weren’t as many families or couples as I had expected.
Brittany Chang/Insider
And this young but powerful demographic seemed to dictate the number of customers inside each shop.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Stores like Nordstrom and Anthropologie were quiet with only a handful of shoppers.
Brittany Chang/Insider
But the same couldn’t be said for Lululemon.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Similarly, the lines just to get into Urban Outfitters and Swish Studios — a sneaker and streetwear shop — were almost a dozen people long …
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… and consisted mostly of young shoppers.
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Stores like Garage and Levi’s were also packed with these younger consumers.
Brittany Chang/Insider
But at this hour, some Gen Z-beloved brands like Brandy Melville, Tilly’s …
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… Pacsun, Vans, and H&M were relatively quiet with only a handful of people filing in and out.
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None of these stores had lines out the door yet.
Brittany Chang/Insider
But they all had belt barriers set up in anticipation for larger crowds later in the day.
Brittany Chang/Insider
To my surprise, Old Navy had a robust crowd with a long checkout line, although the age of customers here looked more varied.
Brittany Chang/Insider
I had no doubt the outdoor mall would be significantly more packed later in the day, likely with a more varied demographic.
Brittany Chang/Insider
But in the morning, Gen Zers looked like they were dominating the mall.
Brittany Chang/Insider
At South Coast Plaza, the largest luxury mall on the West Coast, the scene was somewhat similar.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Source: South Coast Plaza
… including high-end retailers like Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Hermes, and Chanel.
Brittany Chang/Insider
But when I arrived a few minutes past 9:30 a.m., only a handful of people, if any, were milling around these luxury stores.
Brittany Chang/Insider
It was quiet at the likes of Celine, Rolex, and Burberry.
Brittany Chang/Insider
This should be no surprise: Many premium brands don’t have Black Friday deals.
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And high-income shoppers aren’t as impacted by inflation, which means there’s less urgency to hunt for discounts, Neil Saunders, GlobalData’s retail analyst, told Insider.
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Instead, like the Irvine Spectrum Center, most of the crowds were centered around a handful of brands that target younger consumers.
Brittany Chang/Insider
The long checkout lines …
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… disheveled displays …
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… and general bustle at the mall’s Madewell and Zara looked busier than I’ve seen during normal retail hours.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Instead of teenagters, these stores were primarily filled with what looked to be late-Gen Zers and millennials, although the shoppers at South Coast Plaza often seem to skew older because of the number of luxury retailers.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Meanwhile, Aritzia was buzzing with customers waiting in a surprisingly long dressing room line.
Brittany Chang/Insider
And there were plenty of shoppers fluttering around Lacoste, Sephora …
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… Bath and Body Works, Uniqlo, and Victoria’s Secret.
Brittany Chang/Insider