Black Friday sales fall, on-line buying rises

[Hum]

NEW YORK ?  The crowds of bargain hunters that rush through store doors the day after Thanksgiving have thinned out.

U.S. shoppers spent $9.1 billion at stores on Black Friday, according to data out Saturday from research firm ShopperTrak. That's a drop of 7 percent compared with the same day last year.

But it's too early to call the holiday shopping season a dud, said Bill Martin, ShopperTrak' s co-founder. Sales on Thanksgiving jumped 24 percent to $3.2 billion. And overall sales for the two days are expected to slip half a percent to $12.29 billion. The figures don't include online transactions.

For the second straight year, the report suggests that more people avoided the crowds on Black Friday by avoiding time at home on Thanksgiving Day. This year, many large retail stores decided to open their doors to eager shoppers for extended hours on the holiday.

"People are changing their behavior," Martin said. "We've seen this for two years in a row now. Stores opening on Thanksgiving are simply eroding sales from Black Friday."

The popularity of shopping online has also lured people away from brick-and-mortar stores. In a separate report out Saturday, IBM said online sales for Black Friday climbed 9.5 percent over the same day last year. More than one of every four transactions were made using a smartphone or tablet computer.

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[cork1958]

"For the second straight year, the report suggests that more people avoided the crowds on Black Friday by avoiding time at home on Thanksgiving Day"

 

Huh? They avoided the crowds on Black Friday by avoiding time at home on Thanksgiving Day? I know what that's supposed to be saying, but it's worded in a very twisted way.

 

That sounds just like some politicians mumbo jumbo speak!! They avoided everything and everyone then, huh?

 

Only an idiot would go stand in lines on Black Friday when it's so much easier to do it online now a days. Of course it's been that way for much longer than just the last 2 years, it's just taken that long for the idiots that do stand in lines to figure that out!

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Yeah well of course this is going to happen.

 

This is due to the fact that people on Black Friday loose there minds and this has resulted in people being trampled on and killed in the past and if nobody is killed during Black Friday then there just pushing each other out the way so that they can get to there 3D TV or something like that and people Don't wan't to be a part of that so it was inevitably going to happen.

 

I bet 60% of all TV's brought on Black Friday ended up broken before the customer could get it home.

[Hum]

There are 24 days to shop for gifts in December.

 

Zero reason retailers need my money any earlier.

 

I don't buy until then.

[mstefanik]

I bet 60% of all TV's brought on Black Friday ended up broken before the customer could get it home.

 

Personally, that is one class of product that I would definitely recommend against purchasing on Black Friday. There are exceptions, but by and large those heavily discounted "door buster" TVs are made to lower specifications, using much cheaper components, specifically for those people who think that they're getting a great deal on a 50" flatscreen. There's a good chance it'll just end up in the dumpster by next summer.

[blank]

We get deals all the time via the internet. Black Friday isn't that special anymore, and isn't worth the lines, crowds, and over all craziness.

 

Seeing greedy people at the stores on black Friday disgusts me and makes me loathe the human race even more.

[Krome]

We get deals all the time via the internet. Black Friday isn't that special anymore, and isn't worth the lines, crowds, and over all craziness.

 

Seeing greedy people at the stores on black Friday disgusts me and makes me loathe the human race even more.

Agreed

[DConnell Member]

We get deals all the time via the internet. Black Friday isn't that special anymore, and isn't worth the lines, crowds, and over all craziness.

 

Seeing greedy people at the stores on black Friday disgusts me and makes me loathe the human race even more.

 

Absolutely. I actually did buy my first gift this year on Black Friday, but online. A cool doll for my goddaughter. And I didn't have to step on anyone to get her!

 

Now my problem is resisting the Cyber Monday sales on the Transformers collector sites. I should be allocating those funds to Christmas gifts, but some of the figures on sale are so tempting! I'm already waiting for two preorders to come in, though . . .

[xrobwx71]

There are 24 days to shop for gifts in December.

 

Zero reason retailers need my money any earlier.

 

I don't buy until then.

I buy after Christmas for the next year when everything drops way low. I got a 7' fake douglas fir for 90% off last year.

[Steffan]

The "deals" that the brick and mortar stores this year were awful.  My wife and I spent less than $30 this year on Black Friday.  That includes both online and in store.  Plus people don't want to be limited to just 1 hour of a sale.  Just have the sale until the product runs out.  One of my coworkers spent a total of 2 cents.  He and his wife got new S5 phones from Target.

[Dinggus]

We get deals all the time via the internet. Black Friday isn't that special anymore, and isn't worth the lines, crowds, and over all craziness.

 

Seeing greedy people at the stores on black Friday disgusts me and makes me loathe the human race even more.

 

If a lower class citizen can get a $800 TV for $400 because they can finally afford it, it makes them greedy?

[Hum]

I buy after Christmas for the next year when everything drops way low. I got a 7' fake douglas fir for 90% off last year.

What do you do if someone dies or moves away ? ;)

[xrobwx71]

What do you do if someone dies or moves away ? ;)

I keep that sh*t! :)