How did retailers do on Black Friday?
Filed under: Shopping, Black Friday
Black Friday has officially come to a close and numbers are already rolling in from various retail sources that show sales up as much as 7.2%. Retailers were correct in their assumption that many consumers would scale back holiday purchases, with many stores trending below last year's sales numbers. Despite the decline, many retailers did exceed their lowered expectations, several coming within a few hundred dollars of last year's sales.Broken down by category; sales of electronics were down across the board, in fact 50% below last year at several large stores. Many other retail categories also came in lower than in previous years. Speaking anonymously, one manager voiced concerns that consumers did all of their holiday shopping on Black Friday, and that stores would see bleak December sales. Despite the lower sales overall, one area which did perform well according to our source was clothing; in fact, if clothing sales continue on their current trend, they will likely be higher than last year.
The movement away from electronics towards clothing may signal an early shift in the mindset of consumers as they do holiday shopping. A dress shirt given as a gift this year may be better received than a new mp3 player by many rational consumers. The shift towards clothing isn't new, retailers have already seen more consumers purchasing clothing on sale rather than purchasing a gift card in recent months.
With tow of the top three shopping days already behind us and many retailers still coming up short it may spell good news for consumers in the form of increased CyberMonday promotions on December 1. Still the overall lag in sales is troubling from an economic standpoint, as it may spell an end to many retail stores; costing jobs and tax revenue that many cities depend on.
The Monday following Thanksgiving and Black Friday has been known for a while as "Cyber Monday." That's the day when people who are sick of the story crowds, or, like my friend 
It's 3 p.m. here in Clatsop County, Oregon, where I'm staying with my parents for the holiday week. My two older boys are out fishing, and I'm knitting while the beans soak for the turkey chili that will be our dinner. I'm checking in with my friends on email and Twitter: most of us are participating in 
Yes, it's come to this, but I have to applaud the store's creativity.
The turkey hasn't even been cooked, but retailers are already lowering prices for Black Friday online. 
The following may not be a shocker, but in the world of shopping, it's news.
Oprah's "Favorite Things" episode is one of the best tickets in town every year. The lucky members of the studio audience usually walk away with some very expensive gifts as the host talks up things to buy on the show. Last year it was a $3,800 HDTV refrigerator. This year? Coal. Or maybe, hugs?
Living in an economy that is going through the shredder has some benefits for consumers looking for price breaks. Ever since people realized they couldn't afford to drive much, the lack of demand has helped bring on low gas prices, for one thing. We have a built-in, believable excuse to use when a telemarketer calls ("I'd like to pay for your service, but I'm broke") if we're not the sort to just hang up on them. And since nobody is spending money and retailers really, really want your business, there are some incredible shopping deals to be had.
Other than window shop, I haven't done any serious online shopping yet, and I admit, I'm kind of glad. Because clearly, I need a plan.
