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Black Friday weekend spending 13% higher

Posted: Nov 26, 2012

$59.1 billion dollars spent already, not including Cyber Monday.

I myself don't partake in the craziness, but it is nice to see businesses profiting from the mania.

;

People feeling better about things. We actually - found ourselves participating for once.

[ In Reply To ..]
Son and family were with us at our little vacation place for Thanksgiving, which has NO TV, heavens. Had, I should say. They'd scanned the papers for themselves, and if DH was standing in line between 10 and 11 p.m. he would be guaranteed a 32" for $150.

So now we're finding out just how little we were missing on antenna reception. It has a great picture, though, and there is some nostalgia in visiting "The Rifleman" and "MASH" reruns. :)

Every year this happens. - People go nuts on BF

[ In Reply To ..]
Every single year BF shopping brings in a lot of money. It doesn't mean people feel better about the economy, it means it's a sale and x-mas is coming up, and people will spend whether or not they have the money no matter whether the economy is being better or worse.

I watched some of those videos. Some crazy people I'll tell ya.

Yes, actually spending is a primary measure of - "consumer confidence." nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

no....not consumer confidence.... - nnooypoo

[ In Reply To ..]
it means Christmas is coming; nobody has anything to pay for anything because they lost their jobs six months ago; their UE is running out so they had better get the items now before it does run out and they have even less; the end of the world is coming 12/21; the fiscal cliff is impending and they will have even less because they have to pay more in taxes next year; and they "charged" everything, will reneg on the payments, have it repossessed in six months for nonpayments, but who cares, the world is ending on 12/21. Yep, that's "consumer confidence!"

OMG - you took the words out of my mouth - and I just posted below you LOL

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't know how much simpler we can explain this to people. People go nuts on BF because its a good sale and x-mas is coming. People are spending money they don't have, because of the holiday. If consumer confidence was up we would see a steady trend throughout the year. Everything that I am reading and hearing, nobody has confidence in the economy, but they still need to buy xmas gifts.

12/21 is going to be interesting. I hope it will just mean the end of tyranny here and not the other.

Thanks for your post. As we say over here "great minds think alike".

:-) - nooypoo

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks...I think some people are grasping at straws and trying to find ANYthing positive to bolster who was "elected" this year, and attempting to hold onto the hope that things will get better...which they won't. I know that I personally cannot truly "afford" Christmas this year either, I will be giving "less" than I normally would be, and putting a couple things on credit hoping I can afford to pay them off in the next six months. I am definitely not a confident consumer, for sure!

as far as 12/21, well, I doubt that it truly means the "end of the world," but it surely would not bother me in the least if it was...but I think it just means a renewal of sorts...a change, is all. just because a certain calendar ends does not really mean the end of the world is here. A lot has to happen yet before that takes place, but I do think that those things are happening in record time, faster than expected.

What profound contempt you have for those around you. - I know no one who runs up bills that can't be

[ In Reply To ..]
paid, although, yes, some do load up the credit cards to be paid off after New Year's.

More of that "strange patriotism" that wishes ill on the U.S. - Heaven forbid the economy should improve. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Nice try...not - What profound contempt you have for those - who don't agree with you

[ In Reply To ..]
Not even a nice try.

Not the other poster - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
But I know of several in my husband's family. They've also gone to the point of asking us for a loan to cover the CC payments they can't make because they bought a bunch of @%#* they didn't need and couldn't afford. I'd bet it happens a lot more than you think and how many people tell you exactly what's going on with their finances anyway?

No, spending on BF is a sign that - x-mas is coming - and

[ In Reply To ..]
as I stated has nothing to do with confidence or no confidence in the economy. Please go nuts on BF to get their xmas gifts or even just something on sale. Doesn't mean they have confidence. It means x-mas is coming. Watched a fight over some product break out.

People and BF is crazy I'll tell ya.

I'd rather die than ever participate in that Black Friday - chaos. My family finally got so - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
sick of all the Christmas gift-buying psychosis and hype, and did away with the gift-exchange altogether. Now we are free (and relaxed enough) to enjoy the season, attend a party or two, and be with friends and/or family. This will be our 5th year of no gift-exchange, and it's like being unshackled from a huge ball and chain. We still believe in and celebrate Christmas, we just don't believe in and celebrate out-of-control consumerism.

I'd love to do that. When the small children are a bit older. - Our fellow in-laws always left the country

[ In Reply To ..]
after Thanksgiving, usually for the Far East, and refused to do the obligatory gift-giving. They bought stocks and bonds for the kids, and that's probably what we'll do.

Fact is, in this era toys are so inexpensive that the kids are loaded up with new stuff all year and they can't appreciate their gifts the way their parents did.

Your last paragraph sums up my youngest grandson - backwards typist

[ In Reply To ..]
His mother buys at yard sales all summer long. On his birthdays and Christmas, he gets so much, not just from family, but from friends, that our son told me there are two rooms in their house that's nothing but toys. The only thing he bothers with is his portable CD player with movies (he's only 5!).

I tried giving stocks and bonds but our son, DIL and grandson were peeved, so I only buy him CDs now.

I am so jealous of you right now. - RC

[ In Reply To ..]
I wish, wish, wish my family would make an agreement like that.

Need to read the entire article - dindon

[ In Reply To ..]
I quote the last 2 paragraphs:

"Despite the jump in sales over the weekend, there are concerns that the rise in spending over the festive period as a whole will be weaker this year.

The NRF has forecast a 4.1% increase in retail sales during November and December, less than the 5.6% jump recorded last year."

The stock market also declined today because it too does not believe spending will increase this year. Further, the article does not take into account that stores were open more hours over this weekend than ever before. You will also note by Black Friday, they do not mean only Friday but the entire holiday. It also does not consider the effect of how many sales there were versus normal prices which will also have an impact the final numbers.

Yes, I also heard that overall spending expected - to be DOWN, not up. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Yes, that's true. - RC

[ In Reply To ..]
But the point was that people spent more this year than last year, which is generally a good sign.

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