Black Friday Sales

[newbiz]

Initail reports point to good sales, better than previous years. Wonder what this is an indicator of.

I was at UTC this morning around 9, so that a little late, I did not see the big crowds that MSM is reporting.

At Macy’s, there were probably 7 or 8 customers at the counters, Usually on normal days, one would fine 2 or 3 people.

At Ritz Camera, there were about 8 ppl waiting for service

At compusa – Clairmont, the night before at around 10:30 Pm, there was a long – very long line. Probably 300 ppl waiting in for their chance to pay.

Post your experinces and thoughts

[waiting hawk]

WalMart 10:00am looked like a normal weekend crowd.
I even found help.

My website tracking Inland Empire

[powayseller]

Good post. I read on CnnMoney that Walmart’s lines were long, but the sales were small. If sales are small, then yesterday’s shoppers were bargain hunters, and can be easily dismissed. Let’s see what the rest of the shopping season brings, and whether the average shopper spends more than last year.

[woodrow]

I was at Las Americas at midnight and it was a madhouse. Took me an hour in the cashier’s line at Banana Republic to pay for my clothes.

Sales are way, way up – this is the biggest black Friday in years.

[powayseller]

Hey woodrow, glad to see you back. Love your upbeat outlook..

[woodrow]

Thanks PS – I’m a daily lurker here.

How’s the website coming? Care to provide a link? Like many others, I’m anxious to see what you have to offer.

Best of luck.

[nla]

U.S. Retail Sales Rise 6% on Day After Thanksgiving

By Courtney Dentch

Nov. 25 (Bloomberg) — U.S. retail sales rose 6 percent to $8.96 billion yesterday, the first day of the holiday shopping season, as discounts and lower gasoline costs encouraged consumers to buy more gifts, according to ShopperTrak RCT.

The increase may give retailers reason to be “cautiously optimistic” about this year’s holiday sales, Chicago-based ShopperTrak said today in a statement. The last quarter of year accounts for almost one-third of U.S. retailers’ annual profits.

“This data shows an even larger increase than expected as consumers proved they were more willing to spend,” Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak, said in the statement. The firm measures foot traffic in shopping centers and malls using more than 45,000 video devices.

The day after Thanksgiving, called “Black Friday” because it was the day retailers traditionally expected to turn profitable for the year, has been the second- or third-busiest shopping day in past years. Stores kicked off the holiday season yesterday with early openings and discounts to win customers.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, opened at 5 a.m. yesterday with 42-inch plasma televisions for less than $1,000 and cashmere sweaters for $29, sales that lasted the first six hours of the day. It put other electronics on sale three weeks ago, and has reduced prices on toys, small appliances and food.

The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer said today its November sales at U.S. stores open more than a year fell 0.1 percent, the worst performance in more than a decade.

Discounts, Stunts

Target Corp., the second-biggest U.S. discounter, hired magician David Blaine to escape from shackles holding him to a spinning gyroscope five stories above New York’s Times Square to promote a two-day sale that started yesterday.

Kmart, a unit of Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based Sears Holdings Corp. was open on Thanksgiving Day and offered discounts on games and cameras.

ShopperTrak said earlier this month that it expects Dec. 23, the Saturday before Christmas, to be the biggest shopping day of 2006. The firm estimates consumers will spend $457 billion during the holidays, up 5 percent from last year.

A drop in oil prices in recent weeks may have contributed to yesterday’s increase. Oil has traded between $54.86 and $61.33 a barrel this month because above-average temperatures in the northern U.S. have delayed demand for heating products. Crude oil hit a record $78.40 a barrel in July.

The price of unleaded gasoline at the pump averaged $2.24 a gallon earlier this week, down 26 percent from $3.04 in August, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

ShopperTrak’s figures exclude discount stores, such as Wal- Mart, and Internet transactions. It also uses U.S. Commerce Department data.

[PerryChase]

I went to Target to buy 800 count bed sheets for $20 per sheet. I also bought 2 hard-drives from Staples.

Felt busier that normal days but not a mad-house.

I’m sure that sales are up this year because of Xbox, Sony PS3, and flat screen televisions. Looks like pre-lit Christmas trees are a big thing driving sales this year.

Did anyone notice that gas prices are slowly creeping up after the elections? A coincidence?

[Author]

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