Black Friday draws more shoppers, but smaller tallies
Crowded parking lots around the Phoenix area followed the Black Friday trend nationwide, but the National Retail Foundation reports although there were more shoppers hunting for bargains, they spent less this year.
The NRF released its annual survey Sunday showing 195 million shoppers visited stores and Web sites over the holiday weekend, up from 172 million last year. Average spending by those shoppers, however, dropped to $343 per person, down $29 from Thanksgiving weekend in 2008 and only a few dollars off 2007 levels.
“Shoppers proved this weekend that they were willing to open their wallets for a bargain, heading out to take advantage of great deals on less expensive items like toys, small appliances and winter clothes,” said Tracy Mullin, NRF president and CEO, in a statement Sunday. “While retailers are encouraged by the number of Americans who shopped over Black Friday weekend, they know they have their work cut out for them to keep people coming back through Christmas.”
Thirty-one percent of shoppers said they were out by 5 a.m. And department stores saw the most traffic with 49 percent of shoppers visiting at least one, according to the survey, while only 43 percent said they shopped at a discount store.
“Department stores have done an admirable job touting both low prices and good quality, which are important requirements for holiday shoppers on a budget,” Mullin said.
BIGresearch conducted the survey for the NRF polling 4,985 customers Nov. 26-28.
Click here to see what was happening at Tempe Marketplace and in the Arrowhead area.
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