Video shows Black Friday shoppers “in Biden’s thriving economy.”
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A sign announces Black Friday specials on luggage sets inside a Macy's department store on Nov. 20, 2023, in Denver. (AP)
Black Friday a bust under Biden? No, video of lone shopper is from London in 2017
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Footage of a lone shopper entering a store on Black Friday was filmed in London in 2017.
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The National Retail Federation said a record 200.4 million people shopped in person or online in the U.S. over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend.
The days of Black Friday shoppers trampling each other at retail stores to find discounts may be over in this era of online shopping.
But one social media post misrepresents footage of a nearly empty store on Black Friday as an example of President Joe Biden’s effect on the economy.
A Nov. 25 Instagram video sharing a TikTok shows a worker — with a camera crew nearby — sliding open a store’s doors to find only one person waiting. Text above the footage says, "Swarm of Black Friday shoppers ready to spend their money in Biden’s thriving economy."
The post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
The video doesn’t reflect the state of the U.S. economy under Biden’s leadership. It was filmed six years ago in England.
(Instagram screenshot)
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Using a reverse-image search, we traced the footage to a Nov. 24, 2017, report from BBC reporter Frankie McCamley. McCamley was at Currys PC World — now known simply as Currys — on London’s Oxford Street at 7 a.m. to catch the Black Friday crowd. Her video, which she shared in 2017 on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram shows a lone shopper casually entering the store. She identified him in a second X post as Marcel, who she said came to pick up a pre-ordered laptop.
McCamley’s video also appeared on BBC’s website and in other news reports.
The way Americans shop for the holidays has changed in recent years, with more people choosing to go online for shopping deals. Still, U.S. shoppers set a record over this year’s five-day holiday weekend from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association.
The federation said 200.4 million consumers shopped — either in person or online — over the holiday weekend, breaking last year’s record of 196.7 million. That’s 18 million more shoppers than the federation had predicted.
On Black Friday only, 76.2 million Americans shopped in stores — 3.3 million more than last year — and 90.6 million shopped online.
We rate the claim that this video shows Black Friday shoppers "in Biden’s thriving economy" False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Nov. 25, 2023 (archived)
Frankie McCamley, X post, Nov. 24, 2017
Frankie McCamley, Instagram post, Nov. 24, 2017
BBC, Black Friday a 'damp squib', Nov. 24, 2017
The Independent, Black Friday 2017: Assembled media on Oxford Street disappointed to find just one man waiting outside shop, Nov. 24, 2017
The Telegraph, Black Friday damp squib as Oxford Street shop opens its doors to lone man , Nov. 24, 2017
National Retail Federation, Thanksgiving holiday weekend sees record number of shoppers, Nov. 28, 2023
The New York Times, Black Friday isn’t what it used to be, Nov. 24, 2023
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Black Friday a bust under Biden? No, video of lone shopper is from London in 2017
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