Shoppers hunt for deals, hit the shops for entertainment

They took that time to straighten up the store, restock their shelves, and to catch their breath in preparation for the next wave of eager shoppers.

Many shops in The Bridges opened at 8am – an hour earlier than usual, but the centre was largely empty, save for staff and people passing through.

Shoppers pursuing the best deals are realising the best way to do this is online and over a longer period to track frequently changing prices, Consumer group Which? said. That said, here are a few I can point you towards. You weren’t alone. New numbers this morning show the trend of mobile shopping continuing to shake up the traditional timeframes of holiday shopping. Now the internet is the platform that is dominating the Christmas shopping season; we have more access to online shopping and can shop nearly anywhere, at any time across multiple devices making it a much easier option. Based on a Market Track study of holiday circulars, Walmart is offering an average discount of 39 percent, compared with 35 percent past year.

Such scenes are a harbinger to a strong holiday shopping season, as was the patient crowd that greeted mall Manager John Ferreira when he arrived at 5:30 a.m. Around 137 million people plan to or are considering doing their shopping during the Thanksgiving weekend, according to a survey conducted for the NRF.

Shoppers take advantage of Black Friday door buster deals at Macy’s Herald Square on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016, in NY.

So determined were mall shoppers to get into Victoria’s Secret and Pandora, they waited in lines at the entrances because there were too many shoppers already in the shops. Retailers have also been spreading deals out more throughout the week which may have diluted the shopping. Shoppers spent $1.15 billion online between midnight and 5 p.m. ET, a 13.6% increase over past year, reported Adobe Digital Insights.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Retail Index has risen 4.9 percent so far in November and is on pace for its best monthly return since July. But it includes online spending and other non-store sales such as catalog spending.

By Thanksgiving evening, online spending by U.S shoppers reached $1.13 billion for the day, according to Adobe Digital Index, surging nearly 14 percent from a year ago. That means that online sales could account for 18 percent of overall holiday sales.

“This Black Friday, we promised customers great deals, more availability of those items, an integrated offering with Walmart.com and the simple shopping experience our customers have come to expect from Walmart. Saks Fifth Avenue has started offering concierge help on its website.

“Many legitimate deals are available in such limited quantities that they’ll likely be sold out before most shoppers even make it through the front door”. And some shoppers vow never to visit stores on the holiday. Mobile shopping has also picked up steam, with $771 million coming from customers on their phones. Look through the ads in your local paper to find some of the best deals for brick-and-mortar stores.

“Tradition – we’ve been doing since our kids were little, little”. By 6 a.m., she and her two teenagers made it to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.

“I buy a lot of stuff online, but when it comes to technology, I want to see and feel what I’m buying”, the 25-year-old Jackson Township resident said.

But behind her, Carrie Spicer of Candler said she and her daughter will ignore the boot display at the front of the store to check off items on their Christmas list.

Leah Olson says she’s planning to stick to her annual Christmas shopping budget of $300 to $400.

“I like to sleep”, she said.