Black Friday Successes

Retailers waited anxiously for what has become the biggest day in retail for decades now—Black Friday. Occurring on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday has been used as a determining retail factor for financial figures for the rest of the holiday season for decades. Retailers that do well on Black Friday may expect to do well financially by the year’s end. This has lead to an expected frenzy of encouraging sales to lure shoppers so that they get a jump making on holiday purchases—including extending Black Friday to “Black Friday weekend.”

Everything and Anything Goes

Televisions, cell phones, computers, house wares, laptops, clothing, furniture, jewelry, and of course the crowd favorite—toys. Retailers had all of these on sale. Savvy consumers made the most out of some of the best shopping deals on the momentous day. Items that were usually sold at much higher prices earlier in the year were offered at a deep discount this past weekend. Retailers have been following suit by offering new items during the Black Friday event. Manufacturers have also been playing along, by offering new and updated items with late fall release dates. This spanned from e-readers to the latest and greatest video games. All of these retail forces worked together for the largest profit imaginable.

So how well did American retailers do this year? Very well, and better than expected according to experts. The National Retail Federation has estimated that during the weekend of Black Friday consumers spent a “record $52 billion dollars.” There were an estimated 14 million more shoppers in stores this past weekend, and nearly 25% of all shoppers that visited stores did so during the 12-midnight opening time on Friday. The earlier shopping hours went over well with shoppers that just wanted to get it out of the way as soon as possible and felt this was a welcoming alternative than getting up in the early morning to beat other shoppers to the door. Some shoppers would have been able to have dinner and camp out in front of stores with dessert—only in America.

And the Winner Is…

Resources:

Associated Press: http://www.ap.org

National Retail Federation: http://www.nrf.com

Reuters: http://www.reuters.com

Holiday Shopping Tips and Trends

It’s Your Money

The holiday shopping season is finally here and shoppers are expecting a lot. Experts have predicted that shopper spending will increase almost 3 percent from last year. A lot of that has to do with the expectation of great holiday deals from retailers this season. Retailers are following suit by offering some amazing deals, and well before Black Friday actually arrives. The deals are expected to be so great that most experts predict that shoppers will not only buy for loved ones—they will buy for themselves as well. Some retailers have even started whole marketing campaigns around this popular theory. There may be a surge in BOGO’s (buy one get one) this holiday season as a direct result.

Here is a mini survival kit on how to get the most out of the 2011 holiday season.

Shop Around

Look through store circulars and compare the prices. You are sure to pinpoint items that you want to check off of your holiday shopping list. If you prefer dealing with a particular merchant, bring in competitor prices to see if they will match it.

Get Out Early, or Stay up Late

Lots of stores have set a trend of trying to beat out the competition by opening up as early as possible over recent years. The 8 am opening time has been swept aside for the 6 am opening, and then the 4 am opening. Well retailers have gotten even cleverer by offering Black Friday midnight (morning) sales. Macy’s, and others will be opening their doors at midnight so you can start shopping before sleeping off your delicious Thanksgiving meal. Check your local retailers for more details.

Go Online

Cyber Mondays has evolved into cyber everyday around the holidays. You do not have to wait until the Monday after Thanksgiving to get great deals. Great deals are only as far as your fingers can type your most wanted items into search modules.

Rain Check

Coveted items are sure to get top billing at most stores, which means that they will probably run out the fastest. You may be able to get a rain check from some retailers if this should happen. Don’t expect that you will be able to get the item before Christmas though. You may have to be patient and wait until the New Year—better late than never.

Keep Your Sanity Intact

The holidays can be one of the most stressful times of the entire year. If you do venture out, the lines are bound to be quite long with determined shoppers, who all want more than a retailer may have in stock. Be patient, and have several destinations in mind. If an item cannot be found at one store, it may be at another. This is a good time to get that out the e-reader and browse through a novel, or play a quick game. Bring along company, snacks, and water too. You don’t want to get dehydrated and famished while waiting on line.

Remember that a lot of stores may have an online website as well. If you can’t find it at the store you may be able to find at the store website.

Resources:

National Retailer Federation: http://www.nrf.com