Black Friday: must or bust

“So, why not get my Christmas presents for less money?” said Chantel Gervis, who spent almost 11 hours going from store to store on Thursday and Friday in Visalia and Tulare. Millions of people will do some serious Christmas shopping today. Most large retailers post their Black Friday ads, coupons, and offers online beforehand to give shoppers time to see what they have to offer, and to plan their shopping strategy.

Sephora: Makeup and beauty deals from about 30-75 percent off, with exclusive kits in for Black Friday and sales on brands like Buxom, First Aid Beauty, Clinique, Tarte, Too Faced, Sephora brand products, and more.

“It could be while retailers have an okay Christmas from a sales point of view, from a profit point of view it’s not as healthy as it was a year ago”, said Neil Saunders, managing director at Conlumino, a retail consulting firm. Online sales looked even more vigorous. Adobe Digital Insights forecasting that Black Friday sales online will surpass $3 billion for the first time ever, hitting $3.05 billion in online revenue, up 11.3 percent over previous year.

“It’s not that insane in here”.

“We were at Macy’s parade and we wanted the whole experience”, said Wanda Rone of Tallahassee, Florida, who was trying on a pair of sneakers as she shopped on Thanksgiving for the first time.

The first Cyber Monday deals began in November 2005 and rapidly became global via online retailers across the globe. Black Friday shopping is a highlight of her sister’s holiday trip each year to the U.S. For each of the 10 years they’ve been Black Friday shopping together, she’s stuffed her suitcase with the spoils. “As spending ramps up on Black Friday, we are back on track”.

NRF estimated 137.4 million people will hit the stores this weekend, about 2 million more than past year.

So if you want to get your Christmas shopping out of the way for the kiddos or any family members, Friday is the day to go out and grab some great deals and knock out that Christmas list.

They usually shop at Walmart and sometimes go to JCPenny.

Shoppers who lined up outside H&M on Michigan Avenue around 5:30 a.m. Friday said the early hours and crowds are worth it for deals they can get only in stores. “Just came to participate in all the excitement”.

The advantages of Cyber Monday seem rather obvious in comparison to Black Friday, it’s quicker and easier, there aren’t any long lines and no shoving your way through to find the item you’re after.

“The holiday season that used to start at 6 a.m. on Black Friday starts a week in or two before online or in store”, says Brian Yarbrough, consumer analyst at Edward Jones. Some stores saw slower sales this year as the contentious presidential election proved to be a big distraction. “When they were kids, I was the guy up at 1 or 2 in the morning when the doors opened and the employees went running”. “They restock in the morning, which a lot of people don’t know”. “But both for our stores and online business, so far, so good”.

At the South Shore Plaza in Braintree, “Bella’s Black Friday Professionals”, a group of women from the same family that WBZ-TV profiled past year, were back. Best Buy chief executive Hubert Joly asked on a conference call last week.

The record numbers bode well for Amazon and other online retailers as they gear up for what promises to be an even bigger day: Cyber Monday. The Berne, N.Y., couple woke at 1 a.m.to hit department stores and GameStop, where they stood in a short line for the store’s predawn opening. If you do it online, you save and you can get it delivered right to the house for free.

“It was a really good start”. Best Buy is known for their Black Friday deals, long lines and big discounts.

“Normally, we stay comfy at home”, she said. “I like to do early shopping”. “I like the sales, and I like to ask questions”, said Ms. Ansbro, 34.