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Photos: Where San Francisco shoppers flocked—and didn’t—for Black Friday

People walk by Black Friday signs in Stonestown Galleria.
Shoppers crowded San Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria for Black Friday. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard

Despite the sunshine and crisp fall air, Black Friday in San Francisco did not draw the frenzied deal-searching of years past.

San Francisco shopping destinations such as Union Square, San Francisco Centre and Stonestown Galleria experienced different levels of foot traffic without the hallmark lines of shoppers vying for deeply discounted items.

At Union Square, a shopping district hard-hit by retail theft and the pandemic, top luxury brands sell high-end goods in charming storefronts.

An associate at the Omega Boutique, who was not authorized to speak on behalf of the store, said business was “a little slow for an average Friday,” adding that the district was “extremely quiet.”

Luxury products like Omega watches aren’t discounted at the boutiques, “so it’s not like you’re missing any Black Friday deals,” he added.

But Macy’s was hopping, gussied up for the holidays with cuddly pets in the windows courtesy of the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, reviving a decades-old holiday tradition.

The San Francisco Police Department boosted the presence of officers there and in other key shopping districts for the holiday shopping event. An officer at Central Station said police are on the lookout for a protest against the fur trade.

San Francisco Centre was very quiet. The former Westfield Mall has lost its Nordstrom, movie theaters and close to half of its stores in the post-Covid economy.

Business at Stonestown Galleria was brisk, especially at Asian-centered retailers like Uniqlo, Daiso and Miniso, in line with the mall’s emerging reputation as “Japantown West.”

See photos of the not-so-frenzied Black Friday shopping scene:

Union Square

Shoppers enter Macy's in Union Square.
Shoppers enter Macy’s on Black Friday in San Francisco's Union Square. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard
A shopper holds a jacket in Macy's in Union Square.
Mannie Pipatvariyatorn, a tourist from Thailand, shops for clothing at Macy’s during Black Friday. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard
Woman sit in Union Square beside a heart statue.
A group of women take a photo in Union Square on Black Friday. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard
People of various ages skate at Union Square's ice skating rink.
People skate at the ice rink in Union Square during Black Friday. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard

San Francisco Centre

Shoppers walk in San Francisco Centre.
Customers with bags walk around San Francisco Centre on Friday. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard
Shoppers use the escalator in San Francisco Centre.
Shoppers take the escalator between floors at San Francisco Centre on Friday. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard
Shoppers walk in San Francisco Centre.
Shoppers wander through the San Francisco Centre on Friday. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard
Many people line up inside Hollister in San Francisco Centre.
Shoppers line up at the register at the Hollister in the San Francisco Centre on Friday. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard

Stonestown Galleria

The exterior or Stonestown Galleria with two people walking toward the entrance.
Individuals walk into Stonestown Galleria on Friday. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard
Shoppers inside Stonestown Galleria's Zara.
Shoppers wait in line to make Black Friday purchases at Zara in Stonestown Galleria. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard
A shopper looks in a mirror inside Stonestown Galleria's Zara.
Seiko Yamatmoto tries on a coat in Zara at Stonestown Galleria on Friday. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard
People sit at four benches in Stonestown Galleria.
Individuals rest on benches in a sunlight-filled at Stonestown Galleria. | Source: Gina Castro/The Standard