Black Friday: Hectic holiday shopping starts in stores across the US

By The Associated Press

Nearly 100 million shoppers were expected to head to stores on Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season in the U.S.

Add that to the millions who shopped Thursday on Thanksgiving, a relatively new phenomenon in the U.S. where the holiday has traditionally been reserved for family meals. In recent years, some major retailers have been opening their doors on the evening of Thanksgiving and staying open all night.

Overall, the National Retail Federation expected about 30 million to shop on Thanksgiving, compared with 99.7 million on Black Friday. The trade group estimates about 135.8 million people will be shopping during the four-day weekend, compared with 133.7 million last year. And it expects sales overall for November and December to rise 3.7 per cent to $630.5 billion compared with the same period last year.

But people may not be in the mood to shop much this year. Unemployment has settled into a healthy 5 per cent rate, but shoppers still grapple with stagnant wages that are not keeping pace with rising daily costs like rent. And years later, they still insist on the deep discounts they got used to retailers offering during the recession.

Here are the big themes emerging on Black Friday:

HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR ME?

For the first time, there’s expected to be more people visiting retailers’ websites through their smartphones than on desktop computers or tablets during the first weekend of the holiday shopping season that begins on Thanksgiving Day.

Mobile traffic during the five-day start to what is typically the busiest shopping period of the year is expected to reach 56.9 per cent of total traffic, up from 48.5 per cent last year, according to IBM Watson

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NO ONE WILL START A FIGHT OVER ANYTHING, REALLY

Yet again, trend experts say there’s no single item that’s making shoppers run to stores. Perhaps that’s why Ron Waxman, 51, a sports agent from New York, was able to shop with ease on Black Friday morning and find a nearby parking spot at 2 a.m.

“It’s quiet very quiet,” he said. “This is dead for Black Friday.’

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IT’S CHEAP TO GET WARM

Heavy sweaters and winter coats piled up at department stores and specialty chains heading into the Black Friday weekend.

Unseasonably warm weather and a shift in changing shopping habits toward experiences like spas have limited shoppers’ appetite for such clothing. So plenty of stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom and Dick’s Sporting Goods say they plan to further mark down excess goods.

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TOYS ARE GETTING PRICEY

Prices are climbing for toys as manufacturers pack lots of technology into them. Deborah Weinswig of the Fung Business Intelligence Center says in a recent report that prices of what the company considers the top 20 expected toys was nearly 36 per cent higher than last year, with the average price of $64.99.

And there are plenty of toys that cost $100 or more, observed Toys R Us CEO Dave Brandon. He cited Fisher-Price’s Smart Bear, which has a suggested price of $99.99, as an example.

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YOU CAN STILL ORDER ONLINE AND GET IT TODAY

More retailers are taking on the challenge of same-day delivery. Amazon has been making an aggressive push to offer same-day delivery to people who’ve paid its $99 fee for Prime loyalty club membership. Start-up delivery service Deliv is working with Macy’s, Kohl’s, Express, Williams-Sonoma and other brick-and-mortar retailers to expand same-day delivery options.

Craft-selling site Etsy is working with Postmates for a holiday season pilot that will let some shoppers in New York City have items delivered to their door within hours for a flat fee of $20. Apple is also working with Postmates on same-day deliveries in New York and San Francisco.

And Uber in October launched UberRush service in New York, San Francisco and Chicago that lets small businesses offer same-day delivery.

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WORKERS PROTEST

Wal-Mart workers and their supporters plan to protest outside the home of the daughter of Sam Walton, the company’s late founder. The protest outside her New York City apartment will conclude 15 days of fasting, organizers say. The number of days reflects the call for pay of $15 an hour and full-time work.

Organizers say more than 1,400 people will participate in the action nationwide.

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