Early data shows holiday shopping season off to a good start!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

CHICAGO – The holiday shopping season got off to a surprisingly solid start, according to data released Saturday by a research firm. But the sales boost during the post-Thanksgiving shopathon came at the expense of profits as the nation's retailers had to slash prices to attract the crowds in a season that is expected to be the weakest in decades.

Sales during the day after Thanksgiving rose 3 percent 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.

...

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, some as much as 70 percent off. Elsewhere, sales rose 3 percent in the Midwest and 2.7 percent in the West.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081129/ap_on_...oliday_shopping

[diadromous mermaid 36]

This year : Red Friday, eh?

CHICAGO – The holiday shopping season got off to a surprisingly solid start, according to data released Saturday by a research firm. But the sales boost during the post-Thanksgiving shopathon came at the expense of profits as the nation's retailers had to slash prices to attract the crowds in a season that is expected to be the weakest in decades.

Sales during the day after Thanksgiving rose 3 percent 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.

...

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, some as much as 70 percent off. Elsewhere, sales rose 3 percent in the Midwest and 2.7 percent in the West.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081129/ap_on_...oliday_shopping

[SpiritAlight 1]

NPR reported that there was a 20% drop over last year, and that Saturday was the least busy shopping day in a loooooong time.

And so...

Personally,

news about consumerism dropping is a reason to celebrate.

It is high time people discovered other paths to "happiness".

[*JG* 2]

I worked my PT job at the mall Friday and Saturday. If you ask me, it was way, way down. No parking issues. Lots of people walking around with one little bag or nothing at all. People were even nice! I know our sales were down.

[alienlovechild 75]

Personally,

news about consumerism dropping is a reason to celebrate.

It is high time people discovered other paths to "happiness".

Don't forget to celebrate the higher unemployment that will follow. There no reason consumerism is fading but people have less disposable income in the face of economic uncertainty. I'm a cheapskate but a lot of Americans have no savings and spend beyond their means.