A video shared on Instagram allegedly shows footage of a lone shopper partaking in a Black Friday sale, attributing low turnout to the economy under the Joe Biden administration. 

 

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Verdict: False

The video is miscaptioned. It was actually taken in London in 2017, not America in 2023.

Fact Check: 

A National Retail Federation survey found a record 200.4 million people turned to stores and websites for gifts from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, according to CNBC. This tops last year’s figure of 196.7 million shoppers, the outlet reported.

A video claims to show a low Black Friday turnout in America, blaming President Joe Biden for a negative effect on the economy. The footage shows a woman opening sliding doors to allow one man inside an otherwise empty store.

“Swarm of Black Friday shoppers ready to spend their money in Biden’s thriving economy,” text overlaid on the video reads.

The video is miscaptioned, however. It was posted originally to X, formerly Twitter, by BBC reporter Frankie McCamley, who confirmed she took the video in an email to Check Your Fact. “And the doors are open…. the rush came and went (quickly) #BlackFriday,” the caption reads. (RELATED: Viral X Video Does Not Show Black Friday Shoppers)

And the doors are open…. the rush came and went (quickly) #BlackFriday @BBCLondonNews @BBC_HaveYourSay pic.twitter.com/jkUjFnhwMo

— Frankie McCamley (@Frankie_Mack) November 24, 2017

A reverse image search shows the video was used in a 2017 article from The Independent. A shop in London prepared for an early morning rush for Black Friday but was greeted with a lone shopper picking up a pre-ordered laptop, the outlet reported.  

This is not the first time misinformation has been spread online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim Disney+ lost 23 million subscribers “trying to cancel” Elon Musk.