On this year's Black Friday, there was a surge in traffic at stores and malls over last year. And shoppers snapped up discretionary goods rather than gifts or necessities. Still, many consumers looked for major deals in order to stay within strict budget because of the recession and its aftershocks.
The lines were longer than recent years. To reduce frenzy, many stores or malls tried crowed-control technique. For example, Wal-Mart near Chicago handed wrist bands to shoppers who wanted access to the 5 a.m. electronics prices.
Consumers seemed to be spending more. But concrete assessments as to whether sales were up over a year ago, and if so, whether they were enough to lift major retailers out of their long-term recession, will not be available until later this weekend.
Many shoppers said they spend more this year, but they got great savings. Because of their great savings, people spent more on theirselves, and the "buy one, get one free" stimulated their spending.
I have read several different articles discussing the measures that were taken to try and ensure the safety of the shoppers. After last year when someone was tragically trampled as a surge of people ran into Wal-Mart on Black Friday trying to get the best prices. This wristband technique is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteMany people have also turned to online shopping on Black Friday. It gives shoppers the chance to do some research before buying, so they actually know what they are buying instead of impulse purchase.
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