Black Friday sales were down slightly this
year, but that's actually bad news for those who believe that the day after
Thanksgiving should be reserved for spending time with friends and family
rather than ill-tempered fellow shoppers. According to the research firm
ShopperTrak, sales on Friday were down 1.8 percent from last year, which is the
first dip since the recession hit in 2008. However, that still amounts to a
staggering $11.2 billion in sales, and the drop wasn't caused by Americans
reeling in their spending. With retailers starting sales on Thanksgiving this
year and extending deals through so-called Cyber Monday, the busiest shopping
day of the year has been split into many pieces, and like a consumerism-crazed
starfish, it's now poised to respawn into a multi-day event. Bill Martin,
founder of ShopperTrak, told the New York Times, “What we’re going to start
looking at is the ‘Black Weekend,’ a four-day weekend.”
A survey released by the National Retail
Federation found that 247 people shopped online and in stores between Thursday
and Sunday, which is an increase of 9.2 percent over last year, according to
the Associated Press. The amount people spent during Thanksgiving weekend also
increased, with the average shopper spending $423, up from $398 last year.
Though specific sales figures aren't out
yet for Thanksgiving, the survey found that there was a 21 percent jump in the
number of people who shopped on the holiday, both in stores and online. Aside
from stores opening their doors as early as 8 p.m. on Thursday, another factor
driving up sales was Black Friday's spread onto the Internet. Online sales were
up 17.4 percent on Thanksgiving and 20.7 percent on Black Friday, according to
I.B.M. Plus, for the first time online sales topped 1 billion on Black Friday.
Black Weekend may cement the idea that every holiday is just an excuse for a
sale, but at least spreading the shopping online and over multiple days may
reduce the risk of crowd-related injuries.
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