Black Friday, a biggest holiday shopping season in the United States, has been regarded as a great opportunity that fashion retailers can dramatically increase their sales. However, there has been a lack of attention to consumers' shopping experiences on Black Friday from the consumer perspectives. The objective of this study is to explore consumer shopping experiences on Black Friday, in terms of consumer responses toward the experiences, shopping values, and any possible factors influencing the experiences. The method of critical incident technique was used with 198 critical incidents extracted from 165 responses of university students in the United States. As results, the shopping experiences on Black Friday were categorized into positive vs. negative shopping experiences. After that, the positive and negative experiences were respectively divided into two common themes: utilitarian shopping value vs. hedonic shopping value. In addition to the common themes, 12 categories were also emerged. Among positive experiences, utilitarian shopping experiences includes two categories of off-price shopping and shopping for expensive products, whereas hedonic shopping experiences includes three categories of impulse buying, holiday atmosphere, and shopping for the latest or luxury brand products. Among negative experiences, utilitarian shopping experiences includes four categories of modest discounts, out of stock, time-consuming queues, and fatigue of holiday shopping, while hedonic shopping experiences includes three categories of crowded environments, compulsive buying, and poorly managed stores. In conclusion, it is notable that consumer can undergo negative as well as positive shopping experiences on Black Friday. Implications and suggestions are also discussed.

• 심수인(전북대학교 의류학과) | Shim, Soo In