Diamond Jenkins
Blue & White Flash / Associate Editor
Nearly 89 million shoppers braved the crowds this past weekend scoring deals on everything from hot electronic items to cashmere sweaters and toys.
At a local Jackson area Belks Store, Jackson State University students were among the early morning Black Friday mall goers trying to be among the first 500 shoppers in the door. Some said they were not only enticed by the $5-$1,000 gift cards the store gave out, but also for the bargain boots that sold for $20.
Many shoppers waited eagerly outside of retail stores to catch the one-time sales that can only be found on this momentous occasion. North Park Mall in Ridgeland opened at 4 a.m., an hour earlier than usual, while stores like Belk and J.C. Penney both opened at 3 a.m. Wal-Mart, which never closed, pleased many of its shoppers by beginning its sales prices at 12 a.m.
Jamila Paillet, a junior biology/ pre-physical therapy major from Atlanta, Ga. said, “I happen to think Black Friday is great. Good things for low prices. Can’t beat it.”
Donovan Washington, a sophomore social work major from Pickens, Miss. said, “I love Black Friday. I went shopping and bought some great gifts.”
According to the survey by www.nrf.com, 28 percent of weekend shoppers were at the stores by midnight on Black Friday, compared to 24.4 percent last year.
“It was amazing to see how people actually wait outside in the cold just to buy toys, really. You would not catch me out there,” said Ashley Harris, a junior marketing major from Birmingham, Ala.
According to a November 2012 National Retail Federation survey conducted over the weekend, more people than ever before shopped online and in stores on Black Friday and a record 247 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 226 million last year. Making sure to take advantage of retailers’ promotions to the full extent, the average holiday shopper spent $423 this weekend, up from $398 last year. Total spending reached an estimated $59.1 billion.
The weekend shopping bonanza was not limited to stores; consumers also spent more of their holiday budget online. The average person spent $172.42 online over the weekend, or approximately 40.7 of their total weekend spending, up from 37.8 percent last year.
Last year Black Friday statistics expressed that the American recession is a mere figment of the imagination. According to foxnews.com, approximately 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites during the four-day holiday weekend starting on Thanksgiving Day. These numbers are up.
Lured by deep discounts and practical spending habits, eight in 10 (79.6%) shoppers took advantage of retailers’ weekend promotions to buy non-gift items.
Over their weekend shopping trips, looking for both “self-gifts” and gifts for others, nearly six in 10 (57.7%) bought clothing and clothing accessories, up from 51.4 percent last year. Gift buyers also bought toys (34.6%), books, CDs, DVDs, video games (39.8%), electronics (37.7%), and jewelry (15.2%). Nearly one-third (32.6%) of shoppers bought gift cards over the weekend, up nearly 10 percentage points from the 23.1 percent who did so last year last year.
Looking to get the best bang for their buck and eager to get their hands on exclusive product offerings, more than half (53.5%) of shoppers visited department stores this weekend, up from 48.7 percent last year. Additionally, consumers shopped at discount stores (39.4%), clothing stores (29.0%), electronics stores (33.0%), grocery stores (21.7%), and drug stores (12.7%). Taking advantage of retailers’ special online deals over the weekend, 43.8 percent of shoppers visited retailers’ websites, up from 35.2 percent last year.
Not everyone shops on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
“I am volunteering with the Salvation Army during the holidays. I feel if I can make another family smile or laugh by helping take toys to them, is not only out of respect, but I like shopping for other people in need,” said Quantavious Almond, “Black Friday was a bright day for Internet retailers, as online sales for the key shopping day surpassed $1 billion for the first time.
And for those who did not participate in black Friday, it has become a tradition to shop on Cyber Monday which is the Monday following black Friday. Bargain hunters spent $1.042 billion online the day after Thanksgiving, a 26 percent increase of last year’s Black Friday, according to new figures released today by market analyst ComScore.
Historically the No. 2 sales category on Black Friday, apparel and accessories accounted for more than a quarter of all dollars spent online, overtaking last year’s No. 1 — computer hardware.
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