Shoppers courageous Black Friday crowds

And many retailers are offering bargains long before Thanksgiving, limiting the impact of Black Friday specials.

The rush on the night of the United States holiday, a month before Christmas, reflects the new normal in United States holiday shopping, which was traditionally kicked off the next day, Black Friday.

Thank that little smartphone in your hand.

On Friday, there was evidence that shoppers were vacillating between both stores and online.

Mobile sales made up 37 percent of Thursday’s online sales, which was 20 percent higher than the same day a year ago. Demand outpaced 2014’s record Thanksgiving performance, making it Target’s biggest day for online sales yet, driven largely by electronics. He also was pleased with store traffic.

“I don’t expect to see a lot of retailers closing on Black Friday”.

Still, brick-and-mortar stores held some sway with shoppers Friday.

People were able to shop until 12 a.m.

For Macy’s, the start of the holiday season may have finally brought some much-needed good cheer to the bottom line, even as crowds were not as robust as they could have been. “And I got some shirts for $5.00”.

The figures suggest that hordes of shoppers stayed home rather than fearless the crowds typically lined up outside big box stores.

“It’s not as busy as it used to be, because you can buy stuff online”, said Rita Yackovich of Jeannette.

FBR & Co. analyst Daniel Ives noted, that “this morning, we heard of ramping interest/sales among consumers based on our conversations at various Apple, Target, and Best Buy stores”. And for some, deals advertised by stores weren’t actually bargains. “And if they see a really good deal on Friday they’re going to pounce on it online on Friday”.

“Mom wants them to try to put their stuff besides LEGOS on their list, because that’s all they have written down”, said Jeremy Weber, Black Friday shopper.

Torrance resident Viv Coorapati echoed similar sentiments. “I think it’s better if I just shop online – it’ll be easier, too”. Still, the NRF estimates that the weekend accounts for about 10 percent to 15 percent of total holiday sales.

And sales on Thanksgiving dropped to $1.8 billion from just over $2 billion. “Other retailers simply hoist Black Friday banners above existing stock or react to other retailers’ Black Friday promotions”.

According to the National Retail Federation, about 103 million Americans logged on to do their shopping.

ShopperTrak executive Kevin Kearns said that doesn’t mean Black Friday was a bust for retailers.

On Tuesday, Dec. 1, ShopperTrak will release a full weekend recap, which will include additional details regarding sales and shopper visits.

You could find fewer discounts than expected…

John Lewis’s website went down around 3.20pm and when one disgruntled customer called up to confirm an order lost online they were told the retailer was unable to take any orders and to call back in an hour.