For those of you that were brave enough to wade through the crowds of Black Friday shoppers this year, you may have noticed that not everyone stuck it out all day long. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday evening that Black Friday started out strong, but slowly thinned out by afternoon. This is because shoppers were not willing to stick around unless they were seeing some major discounts.
A lot of the savings we were seeing this year came in the form of doorbusters and a good deal of sales on electronics. Unless you were lined up outside the door just as stores opened in the early morning, you may not have seen too many savings. The Wall Street Journal reports that Andrew Harris, a Dallas police officer, planned his Black Friday out perfectly when he showed up for a sale at Target at 3am, 2 hours before the store even opened, and bought a 32" LCD HDTV for $246 (a savings of $180).
Wal-Mart also saw lots of traffic, with some customers showing up the evening before to camp out in front of the store. Stores like Wal -Mart recognize the need to get shoppers in by enticing them with deep discounts since many consumers have expressed a need to spend less this year than last. Aix Partners LLP released a study earlier this year with some data about the upcoming holiday season. They found that 88 percent of consumers planned to spend less this year than last year and 82 percent said that what they do spend money on will be purchased from value stores like Wal -Mart. Though the numbers sound bleak for retailers, the National Retail Federation is only predicting a 1 percent drop in U.S. holiday sales, which is up from last years 3.4 percent decline.
Did you venture out to the stores this Black Friday?
Do you plan on spending less on gifts this holiday season than you did last year?
I chose to not attend black Friday this year, but partly because the items which were deeply discounted were not items on my shopping list. I am spending less this year, but not by too much as my family has keep a managable budget on holidays all of our lives. What I did do was to purchase everything my son wished for online from Amazon... just a few clicks and his shopping was done complete with free shipping.
msfriendly::
on Nov 28, 2009
I really hate the crowds. Unless I REALLY need something that is deeply discounted, I avoid shopping on Black Friday. Stores are being so competitive, that there will still be great sales before Christmas and online.
ksumm77::
on Nov 28, 2009
I actually attended Black Friday for the 1st time this year. It wasn't as crowded as I thought it was going to be. Some places had really good sales, but not every place.
loli1707::
on Nov 28, 2009
i didnt do teh early AM but i started shopping around 12 .. and it was pretty much sad ..not very many people , so/so deals ..overall it was just ok
momagarry::
on Nov 28, 2009
Yes normally, but I am 38 weeks pregnant so I did not go this time.
pjclayton57::
on Nov 28, 2009
I didn't go the Black Friday shopping adventure.....however, I DID have to venture into Target for something non-holiday related. This was later in the day and the store really was quite empty from what I had expected. I was happy and surprised at the same time. I was in and out in under 15 minutes! Thankfully so!
simplecindy::
on Nov 28, 2009
I didn't go black friday shopping, however i did already do my shopping before hand and it is all done. I went one year for black friday and never again. It is too crazy for me.
peacelovepink0x14::
on Nov 28, 2009
I didn't go black friday shopping this year, but last year I did. It's really fun, (after all, what day dedicated to shopping isn't?) but the only turn-off for me is the crowds. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a little competition, but after awhile, I just need an escape. Plus, most of my favorite stores, such as Sephora, aren't even worth it because the deals aren't too outstanding. But hey, maybe I'm just bitter because I was low on cash yesterday.
64naenae::
on Nov 28, 2009
i attend black friday to shop for christmas gifts
BlondieChell::
on Nov 28, 2009
i <3 Black Friday, but right now we live in a small town & the only "department store" is walmart which has been seeing an increase in the Black Friday crowd, but it's nothing like the city. we arrived @ walmart @ 2:30am 2 get a laptop & my hubby was 3rd in line...people didn't start arriving till about 4am..... but we did get come great deals on stuff! soooooooooo excited!
