Justin and Emily Mace, of Canton, came to Alliance to shop on Black Friday instead of staying in Canton because they said it is easier to get around in Alliance.
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More than 151 million people shopped from Thanksgiving Day through Sunday, with 102 million shoppers in stores and 103 million browsing via their laptops or mobile devices, the National Retail Federation said.
Meanwhile, Adobe estimated that online shopping grew 14 percent on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
Several studies released over the weekend showed different levels of online growth, all in the double-digits. It had been $380.95 in 2014s Black Friday weekend and $407.02 the year before. The information highlights the melting away significance of Black Friday, which until a couple of years back commenced the Christmas shopping season, as more retailers begin marking down prior in the month and open their entryways on Thanksgiving Day.
She said the mall did look busier compared to past year.
Federation President and Chief Executive Matthew Shay said that while the group can’t make a comparison to last year, it saw enough evidence of spending over the weekend to believe that its forecast of 3.7 percent growth in holiday sales this year is on track.
Online sales on Thanksgiving and Black Friday totaled $4.5 billion, up 18 percent from a year ago, according to a report from Adobe.
More shoppers grabbed doorbusters without heading out their doors on Black Friday, as millions opted to shop online.
Take Pia Tracy, who bought some items at Pier 1 home furnishings store over the weekend.
The data, without year-over-year comparisons, paints an incomplete picture of the behavior and spending of USA shoppers over the weekend.
ShopperTrak still expects this year’s overall holiday season to net more for retailers than last year.
Fewer visits on both days reinforce the trend weve seen throughout the year, in which shoppers are researching products ahead of time, targeting their store visits, and arriving in-store with the intention of making a purchase, says Mr. Kearns.
The charity Electrical Safety First said its own investigation had found highly sophisticated, risky counterfeits for sale through online marketplaces which were not necessarily vetted by retailers.
More than half of those shopping in stores over the weekend said they shopped at a department store (53.6%), and another 37.2 percent said they shopped at a discount store.
Shoppers in JCPenney didn’t seem to be waiting for one item in particular, but rather looking for across-the-board discounts on most store items.
The ritual of Black Friday – the post-Thanksgiving day that has long marked the beginning of the holiday season – also has changed.
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MasterCard Advisors will publish its report of Black Friday sales next week. Martin said early advancements in November were a greater element harming Black Friday than store openings on Thanksgiving night.
