Early birds catch plenty of stuff - retailers have lucrative 'Good' Friday
27 Nov '06
3 min read
Retailers kicked off the holiday selling season in style as shoppers across the country set their alarms for the wee hours of the morning to catch doorbuster specials.
According to the National Retail Federation's 2006 Black Friday Weekend Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, more than 140 million shoppers hit the stores on Black Friday weekend, spending an average of $360.15, up 18.9 percent from last year's $302.81.
“Each year, consumers have greater expectations for doorbuster specials, forcing retailers to raise the bar,” said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin.
“This year, stores did not disappoint as deals on high definition televisions and apparel were just too good to pass up, bringing millions of people out of their Thanksgiving cocoons.”
Retail stores opened earlier than ever on Black Friday and shoppers responded. According to the survey, one-third of Black Friday shoppers (36.2 percent) got to their first shopping destination before sunrise (6 a.m.).
By 9 a.m., more than half of shoppers (58.8 percent) said they had already visited one store. Men were more likely to wait in line than women, as 17.3 percent of men said they got to their first store by 4 a.m., compared to just 8.0 percent of women who arrived by that time.
According to the survey, men who hit the stores this weekend outspent women by 38.1 percent, with men spending $420.37 on average and women spending $304.30. Over the weekend, more than one-third (39.5 percent) of men bought consumer electronics or computer-related accessories compared to one-fourth (27.5 percent) of women.
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