I went shopping on Black Friday for the first time ever this year.
Let me preface this with saying I’m not a shopper and I’m usually the person who waits until Christmas Eve to do his Christmas shopping. But I figured I’d get an early start this year and get some deals while I was at it.
I didn’t camp out in any lines or go at midnight; I was too busy recovering from my food coma. I did, however, brave the mall on Friday, a place with long lines and big crowds of angry shoppers that gives me anxiety on a normal day.
On this particular day, there were people directing traffic, porta-potties set up in the parking lots, and every store was jam-packed. Definitely not my idea of a fun time.
Most stores had lines to get in the door and security guards letting groups in one at a time like a bouncer at a club. Is it really worth it to stand outside in 30-degree weather for 40 percent off? I guess that’s your call but I value my warmth (and sanity) too much. Needless to say, I stuck to the stores that didn’t have a mile-long line to get into.
When I read reports that spending hit a record high this Black Friday, I wasn’t surprised based on my experience. Here’s a look at the numbers:
- The number of Americans visiting stores to shop on the holiday jumped 83% this year, while a record number of people shopped online.
- The average shopper spent $423 this weekend, up from $398 a year ago
- Total spending reached an estimated $59.1 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.
- 28% made it to the store by midnight on Black Friday, compared with just 24.4% a year ago.
- An estimated 35 million Americans visited stores after gobbling up their turkey dinners, up from just 6 million a year ago, according to the NRF
- A record 247 million shoppers visited stores and web sites, up from 226 million a year ago, according to the NRF survey
- U.S. retail e-commerce spending this Black Friday reached $1.042 billion, making it the biggest online spending day to date in 2012 and marking a 26% increase from the 2011 period, according to data from comScore
I ended up getting some really good deals and can check a lot of things off my Christmas shopping list but I haven’t decided yet if Black Friday shopping is for me. What are your thoughts? Is Black Friday shopping an annual tradition for you?
