Black Friday Brought Shoppers Back to Stores

[question everything]

U.S. shoppers spent more time and money at bricks-and-mortar stores over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend than the same period last year, though foot traffic remained below pre-pandemic levels. The rebound marks a reversal from 2020 when the pandemic accelerated a yearslong shift of holiday spending occurring online at the expense of in-store shopping. It also shows retailers were able to secure spending on the key Black Friday selling day, analysts say, even though discounts weren’t as prevalent this year and they spent weeks nudging customers to shop earlier in the season.

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The Thanksgiving holiday weekend was also the first time in years that online retail sales didn’t increase from the prior year, according to some industry estimates. Online Black Friday sales fell to $8.9 billion from $9 billion last year, according to Adobe Inc., while Thanksgiving Day online sales were roughly flat at $5.1 billion, the first time sales didn’t increase since Adobe started tracking the figures in 2012.

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Shipping delays and a year and a half of pandemic-related product shortages nudged customers to buy early, retail executives have said in recent weeks. Sixty-one percent of shoppers surveyed by the NRF said they had started their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving, up from 51% a decade ago.

More consumers are feeling flush this year than last, benefiting from a strong labor market. Household spending rose 1.3% in October from a month earlier, while personal income increased 0.5% last month, the Commerce Department said last week. Consumers are spending at a faster pace than inflation, which recently hit a three-decade high.

More..

https://www.wsj.com/articles/black-friday-brought-shoppers-back-to-stores-11638111602 (subscription)

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Two thirds, perhaps more, of the American economy is service based. Meaning, among other things, buying, including "stuff" whether we need it or not. So I am glad to see shoppers returning to the stores. We may save main streets, yet.

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

1. Black Friday shopper here. Yes, I know I am crazy.

Not many people at the 5am hours like there used to be. Lines were very decent. 8am was when everybody came out. Deals this year really sucked. A couple maybe but most things that had always been on sale pre pandemic were not on sale. Black Friday used to sell nice things that were new and popular. This year they just sold the old pre pandemic things. Could have just gone to a second hand store and have gotten the same things. I found one thing on my list of 6 on sale this year.

I am a seasoned Black Friday shopper and know how to compare all stores for prices, which stores I need to be at first, know which stores tend to have unadvertised products for sale and which products they are, and to have a list of all info to back your information knowledge. When I tell you it sucked big time this year I know what I am talking about. Mostly if you wanted a TV that was the big thing though those were not good deals either.

Well, if things are better next year and we are not all dead maybe they will go back to what Black Friday used to be.