The Conservative Cave
Current Events => Breaking News => Topic started by: Wretched Excess on November 29, 2008, 09:09:23 PM
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(http://www.foxbusiness.idmanagedsolutions.com/charts/indices/quote.chart?ID_NOTATION=324977&HEIGHT=85&WIDTH=253)
CHICAGO — The nation's retailers got a much-needed sales boost during Black Friday's traditional shopathon as consumers, lured by deep discounts, spent nearly 3 percent more than they did last year.
Sales on the day after Thanksgiving rose to $10.6 billion, according to preliminary figures released Saturday by ShopperTrak RCT Corp., a Chicago-based research firm that tracks sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets.
Last year, shoppers spent about $10.3 billion on the day after Thanksgiving, dubbed Black Friday because it was historically the sales-packed day when retailers would become profitable for the year.
While it isn't a predictor of overall holiday season sales, Black Friday is an important barometer of people's willingness to spend during the holidays. Last year, it was the biggest sales generator of the season.
But experts caution that this year's sales growth may be hard to sustain for the remainder of the holiday shopping season, which has 27 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas instead of the 32 last year.
Still, the sales boost was surprising in light of data showing shoppers are scaling back on discretionary spending because of a recession fueled by uncertainty related to turmoil in the world's financial and credit markets.
"Under these circumstances, to start off the season in this fashion is truly amazing and is a testament to the resiliency of the American consumer, and undeniably proves a willingness to spend," ShopperTrak co-founder Bill Martin said in a statement.
Across the country, sales in the South were up 3.4 percent from last year while they climbed 2.6 percent in the Northeast as shoppers began scouring store aisles at midnight hoping to snag the best selection on early morning specials.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,459226,00.html
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Now that's really surprising.
Mrs. E and I have stayed away from "Black Friday" for years - just because.
But I would've expected things to be fairly calm this year - largely because north-central Missouri is in a big-time recession.
Marketing works. :mental:
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recession my fuzzy pink testicles
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recession my fuzzy pink testicles
Consider the crush of humanity I found myself in yesterday at a Wal-mart in NOVA...I'd have to concur.
On the lack of recession that is...not the other. :-)
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recession my fuzzy pink testicles
Maybe not in Commiefornia, where you are, but swing by this area sometime. It ain't pretty.
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This is great news.
I have seen sales increases for the past three days as compared to last year at my little place of employ.
But, I think they are spending more, but also getting more...discounts have been huge to get folks in the door.
But, it's still job security for me!
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Wife left home at 7 am. Friday morning with a shopping friend. She returned at 7 pm. with said friend. The phone rang at 7 pm., it was the friend telling me to come outside and help wife with her packages. I opened the backdoor and there sat a Chevy Suburban with the seats out, filled to the bottom of the windows from front to back with "stuff". I was thinking, "OMG! The family fortune is in the back of that 'bus'." Wife had one medium bag and 2 small boxes, that's all. The rest belonged to the friend.
You talk about dodging the bullet........ :-)
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Wife left home at 7 am. Friday morning with a shopping friend. She returned at 7 pm. with said friend. The phone rang at 7 pm., it was the friend telling me to come outside and help wife with her packages. I opened the backdoor and there sat a Chevy Suburban with the seats out, filled to the bottom of the windows from front to back with "stuff". I was thinking, "OMG! The family fortune is in the back of that 'bus'." Wife had one medium bag and 2 small boxes, that's all. The rest belonged to the friend.
You talk about dodging the bullet........ :-)
wow.... LOL.
I think I must be the only female who detests shopping.
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wow.... LOL.
I think I must be the only female who detests shopping.
Mrs. E is a pretty devout shopping-hater.
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Mrs. E is a pretty devout shopping-hater.
I think I must be an agoraphobic. I just can't stand fighting the crowds or standing in lines.
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I personally have been fighting the credit cards for more than 18 months. My spending is way down. And will continue to be way down for the forseable future.
I am also seeing lots of places closing doors lately.
But I think for most folks, the huge decrease in payments for gasoline are translating into large purchases of other things. Mostly, I think, energy efficient things.
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Wife left home at 7 am. Friday morning with a shopping friend. She returned at 7 pm. with said friend. The phone rang at 7 pm., it was the friend telling me to come outside and help wife with her packages. I opened the backdoor and there sat a Chevy Suburban with the seats out, filled to the bottom of the windows from front to back with "stuff". I was thinking, "OMG! The family fortune is in the back of that 'bus'." Wife had one medium bag and 2 small boxes, that's all. The rest belonged to the friend.
You talk about dodging the bullet........ :-)
See, that is the difference between the way men shop and the way women shop. For a guy, it would be:
left home at 7 am. Friday morning with a shopping friend. Returned at 8 am. with a new "friend."
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My daughter wanted her mother to do the Walmart* @ 5:00 AM thing since we live in the boony docks area. My wife did it. She went shopping instead of my daughter. The $5.00 Whatever Dolls was the BIG attraction.
My wife was in line to check out by 5:30. She got home at 8:00.
My wife said it was a madhouse.
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Damn this horrible Bush economy!!! :censored: