Black Friday retail sales are up 7 percent from last year, according to a recent survey promising a strong turnout for Cyber Monday.
A report released Saturday from ShopperTrak, a Chicago-based provider of information products, services and solutions to the retail, gaming, mall and shopping center industries, stated this year’s shoppers spent $11.4 billion on the day that marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season—that’s $1 billion more than last year. The data was gathered from roughly 25,000 shopping centers across the country.
It was the largest amount ever spent and the most dramatic year-to-year increase since 2007. Reasons for Friday’s success can vary, but one thing’s certain—more and more penny-pinching Americans are swallowing the price spikes this holiday shopping season. For starters, buyers had a plethora of saving possibilities on Black Friday.
Walmart was the first to open its doors, greeting shoppers at 10 p.m. Thursday. Like Macy’s and Lowes, Target kicked off its Black Friday sale at midnight. Best Buy got a head start on Cyber Monday by beginning a day early. There were savings in every department—appliances, entertainment, electronics—even free shipping. Featured sales included $600 off Samsung 25.8 cubic foot French Door refrigerators, 50 percent off PDP Wood Bongos and $105 off Garmin nuvi 1450LMT GPS receivers.
Eastern Michigan University junior Kellie Barnes stayed out late after feasting on Thanksgiving dinner but cashed in on several similar deals. After visiting four stores, she had checked off every item on the holiday shopping list, a task she routinely puts off until the week before Christmas.
“I never thought I’d get it done so early before Christmas, but I did,” said Barnes, a first-time Black Friday shopper. “The sales were unreal, and I couldn’t pass them up… I don’t know if I’ll do it this way every year, but for this year, I’m happy I finished so early. It made things interesting, too, and I’m always up for a challenge.”
Shoppers had even more deals to choose from. Dell released an exclusive coupon allowing customers to save an extra $50 off Dell laptops and desktops marked at $599 or above. Sears offered deals on tools, large and small appliances, electronics, apparel and toys along with a few seasonal deals like 50 percent off its entire Christmas selection. Hoover self-propelled upright vacuums were $149.99 – that’s $80 off the original price and Dyson multi-floor upright vacuums were $299.99 – that’s $200 off.
The long road called benefits didn’t end at customers, though. IBM proved online purchases rose 24.3 percent Friday, based on sales from 500 online retailers.
EMU junior Jennifer Swells said she prefers participating in Cyber Monday.
“I think a lot more people pay attention to Black Friday because it’s arguably the shopping day of the year, but Cyber Monday isn’t as hectic,” Swells said. “I mean, you don’t have to worry about getting trampled. You can spend—no, enjoy your time at smaller stores while probably saving just as much money as you can on Black Friday. It’s just different products.”
Entering its sixth year, Cyber Monday is geared for high-end tech deals at small or individual stores, but any retailer can partake.
For the most part, the spotlight is on websites, like the popular CyberMonday.com. It gives customers specials like free shipping at hundreds of merchants during the holidays and throughout the year, hourly specials and exclusives from online retailers on Monday, as well as, sneak peeks of hourly deals via email alerts.
Sophomore Aaron Vinet judged his experience of shopping on Black Friday and expects a positive turnout for smaller businesses Monday.
“If Monday’s anything like the madness I experienced Friday, it’ll be worthwhile for small chains,” Vinet said.
As many as 152 million people were expected to shop at stores and websites on Black Friday, up 10 percent from last year, according to the National Retail Federation. This was partly due to sales growing 4 percent in each of the two weeks leading up to Black Friday, as retailers started promotions earlier than normal or extended hours.
All in all, ShopperTrak is expecting holiday sales to be up 3.3 percent this season. Retailers generally rely on sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas to make up 20 percent of their annual take.
