Black Friday shopping alive and well at Portland-area mall despite affordability concerns Updated: Nov. 28, 2025, 1:08 p.m. Published: Nov. 28, 2025, 12:30 p.m. 12 Washington Square Black Friday 2025 By Jonathan Bach | The Oregonian/OregonLive No doors busted — but Washington Square mall provided plenty signs of life for the American mall on Black Friday. Slow pre-dawn hours picked up by mid-morning as shoppers rushed to the regional shopping center in Tigard for clothes, Lego sets and the latest tech. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” was a typical refrain heard from the food court as consumers put up a solid showing despite persistent nationwide affordability concerns and the dominance of online shopping . Washington Square officials said they expected more than 100,000 shoppers to get in on retailers’ in-person deals during the year’s busiest shopping day, roughly on par with last year’s showing. Spokesperson Lisa Frisch said many stores run in-store only promotions to bolster sales. What’s more, she said, many people come with family and friends. “There is a tradition aspect to it,” Frisch said. Still, concerns around everything from the consumer impact of tariffs to rising health insurance costs are driving economic uncertainty for customers, said Portland State University economics professor Rajiv Sharma. “Oregonians and Portland residents are part of the global and national economy,” Sharma said, “and are being buffeted by these global and national policies.” High-earning customers will spend freely while many low- and middle-income households struggle with affordability and job security concerns, which could lighten their shopping carts over the holidays, he said “Uncertainty is likely a predominant feeling among a large number of consumers this season which typically inclines people to spending less,” Sharma said in an email. “The uncertainty is also affecting the behavior of employers so that hiring for holiday-season positions by companies like Kroger has been weaker this year than last. Many households rely on these seasonal jobs to support their holiday spending.” Still, if some items on Oregonians’ holiday lists are in short supply as reports suggest, that could drive them in the other direction, he said. The Associated Press reported that toys, baby products, housewares and team sports equipment were among the hardest hit categories experiencing price increases when a market research firm checked the cost of general merchandise in September. “If consumers are sufficiently spooked by these reports, it is possible that they will spend more heavily this weekend to beat possible shortages later in the season,” Sharma said. At Washington Square, lines grew and corridors filled with eager shoppers. A crowd of about 30 avid Lego fans snaked outside the store by 6:30 a.m. and had tripled by the time the store opened at 8 a.m. The hotly anticipated release: a Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise display model Lego set, priced at $399.99, part of a first-time collaboration between the storied sci-fi franchise and toy company — and, of course, the starship is out of stock online. To secure their ships, Mike Halasz arrived first in line at 4:45 a.m. from Washougal, Trevor Glasheen arrived from Grants Pass at 5:01 a.m. and Patrick Young arrived from Seaside at 5:03 a.m. Halasz expressed an upbeat sense of how shoppers will spend this year, pointing to a new report from the National Retail Federation that forecast holiday spending to rise about 4% from last year to surpass $1 trillion for the first time. Glasheen said the drive was “most definitely worth it” but acknowledged that the purchase would eat up much of his holiday spending. “This is Christmas,” he said. Jonathan Bach covers housing and commercial real estate. He wants to know how rent and mortgage costs affect readers' wallets, and tell stories that go behind the scenes of Portland's office market. Jonathan… more Source: https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2025/11/black-friday-shopping-alive-and-well-at-portland-area-mall-despite-affordability-concerns.html