NRF Survey Finds Black Friday Gets Holiday Season Off to Energetic Start (2008) (National Retail Federation) Though the holiday season is far from over, retailers across the country are breathing a collective sigh of relief after shoppers headed to stores and websites in droves over the weekend. According to the National Retail Federation's 2008 Black Friday Weekend survey, conducted by BIGresearch, more than 172 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 147 million shoppers last year.* Shoppers spent an average of $372.57 this weekend*, up 7.2 percent over last year's $347.55. Total spending reached an estimated $41.0 billion.
Black Friday Sales Report 2008 (CNNMoney.com) : Research firm says Black Friday sales up 3%, thanks to deep discounts, in cautious start to the season. The nation's retailers were watching anxiously, having already suffered significant declines during the year thanks to the weakening U.S. economy. However, "the first nationwide returns were positive for merchants. ShopperTrak RCT, a retail industry research firm, said total Black Friday sales rose 3% this year, to about $10.6 billion nationwide"
All Eyes on Holiday Shopping Turnout in Bleak Economy (2008) (New York Times) : Black Friday 2008 had a tragedy at one of the Wal-mart stores. A Wal-Mart worker on Long Island died after being trampled by customers who broke through the doors early Friday. In the article it sates, "many other retailers appeared to have fewer customers than usual the day after Thanksgiving, which is typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year".
Black Friday takes a hit from the economy (2008) (The Boston Globe) : Among shoppers, "there's less of a sense of urgency than we've seen in the last few Black Fridays," said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at The NPD Group. "Last year they were pushing the cart in and coming out with a big-screen TV. This year, they're definitely not running around with their arms full." The article also mentions, "Preliminary reports from major retailers including Macy's, KB Toys, Best Buy, and Toys "R" Us, and mall operators across the country said the crowds were at least as large as last year's. But the National Retail Federation is projecting an 11 percent drop, or about 6 million fewer people who will shop over the Black Friday weekend."
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