In Denver, for instance, Susan Montoya had almost an entire Kmart to herself Friday morning. And those flat-screen TVs everyone’s been scrambling for the last few years?
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The mother-daughter team said they have been Black Friday shopping together for almost 15 years and planned to meet other relatives for more shopping later in the evening.
Experts say almost 60 percent of Americans will do their holiday shopping between Thanksgiving and Sunday.
Black Friday had an early start again this year as shoppers flocked to shopping centers, malls and stores across Georgia.
At this point, expanding Black Friday is one way that retail outlets are trying to expand the most important time of the year for their bottom line.
Amazon said that a t 9.10pm, Black Friday 2015 became its biggest sales day ever in the United Kingdom with more than six million items ordered. It also expects about 135.8 million people will be shopping during the four-day weekend, compared with 133.7 million previous year.
Judging from the crowds so far, though, the shopper numbers could be hard to come by.
In Kennesaw, one of metro Atlanta’s largest malls took on the feel of a slumber party early Friday morning. That’s a situation we’re collectively creating and contributing to when we continue to give retailers reasons to believe opening earlier will help them tally more sales.
Theresa and Todd Moore from El Cajon skipped shopping on Thanksgiving Day and instead headed out on Black Friday for Grossmont Center in La Mesa to do their Christmas shopping.
Jeff Simpson, a principal at Deloitte, also said doorbusters – fat discounts on hot items that once drew shoppers in for store openings – are losing their “umph”.
The best discounts can be found on mid-range and high-end goods.
Now, I understand that it’s different strokes for different folks and, for some, getting a great deal on an Apple (AAPL) iPad is exactly how they enjoy spending their time.
For that matter, isn’t it maybe time to ask whether the value in those big sales is real in the long run?
The major online retailers participating in the post-Black Friday sale include Amazon, eBay.com, JCPenney, Macy’s, Overstock.com, Target, and Walmart, according to The Huffington Post. Take Bintou Cham, who got discounts of 40 to 50 percent at J.C. Penney and other stores in New York City, but was hoping for more.
“Our team loves this day and this weekend it’s one of what we call “Super Bowl” for the store”, Miller said.
According to a press release from Target, the chain department store saw record-setting online sales and strong in-store sales nationwide this week. A Bloomington police officer kept watch near the entrance as shoppers scurried into the store to scour the shelves.
The preference of shoppers to opt for online rather than physical purchase was demonstrated when the websites of some of the UK’s biggest retailers reported pressure to cope with the volume of traffic. Many said they didn’t plan on shopping on Black Friday anyway. He said marijuana gift-giving is becoming more common, though most were shopping for themselves Friday. “And then the rest is up to the customers”.
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Although Black Friday can most certainly be hectic, many people said they look forward to it every year.
