US retailers to roll out the red carpet for Black Friday shopping
26 Nov 2009
Though the recession has dampened the holiday shopping spirit of the average American consumer, retailers are pulling out all stops in their bid to entice shoppers with bargains and longer shopping hours.
Many merchant outlets deck out for the festival shopping as early as Halloween, but the usual race kicks off Friday when a quarter of US households head to stores according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Malls across the region remain open for extended hours handing out plenty of gifts and giveaways such as gift bags, free gift cards and refreshments.
Black Friday, known as such for its ability to lift retailers' bottom lines into the black is usually the busiest shopping day of the year with plenty of deals on electronics. In recent times, the day has also become the longest shopping day of the year so much so that it is now spilling into Thanksgiving Day.
As many as 134 million people are expected to shop over the weekend, up 4.7 percent from last year, according to the National Retail Federation, a Washington-based trade group. But spending may fall during the holidays with shoppers spending on an average of $682.74 on Christmas gifts this year, as against $705.01 last year, according to a survey by the federation.
With unemployment at 10.2 per cent, price is more important to shoppers this year than selection, quality or convenience, according to the NRF.
