Holiday Shoppers Hit Stores Earlier
Posted: November 26, 2011 at 5:39 a.m.
MAKE A WISH Cristina Harbaugh holds daughter Audra Harbaugh, 2, while she tosses a coin in a fountain at Pinnacle Hills Promenade for a holiday wish in Rogers. The two were among the crowds of shoppers to visit retailers on “Black Friday,” traditionally the busiest day of the year for retailers.
Black Friday officially ate its way into Thanksgiving day this year, but that didn’t keep shoppers home. Some retailers, such as Kmart and Walmart, have traditionally been open Thanksgiving, but this year Walmart decided to kick off its first doorbuster sales at 10 p.m.
BARGAIN HUNTERS Bargain seekers crowd the sidewalks and shops at Pinnacle Hills Promenade on Friday in Rogers. “Black Friday”...
By The Numbers
Holiday Sales
• 2010 holiday sales were $453 billion
• 2011 projected holiday sales are $465.6 billion
• Holiday sales represented 19 percent of total retail sales in 2010
• Clothing and accessory stores accounted for $48.6 billion, or 23 percent of total sector sales, in 2010
• Department stores accounted for $46 billion, or 24 percent of total sector sales, in 2010
• Discount stores accounted for $28.8 billion, or 23 percent of total sector sales, in 2010
• Retailers hired between 480,000 and 500,000 season employees this year
Source: National Retail Federation
At A Glance
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. Retailers generally see an upward spike in sales and consider this to be the start of the holiday shopping season. It’s common for retailers to offer special promotions and to open early to draw in customers. The idea behind the term “Black Friday” is it’s the day retail stores have enough sales to put them “in the black” for the year — an accounting expression that alludes to the practice of recording losses in red and profit in black.
Source: investopedia.com
This story is only available from the archives. Click here to contact the online desk.
(Advertisement)
« Previous Story
Police Records For Northwest Arkansas
Local arrests and police records for Northwest Arkansas. Read »
Next Story »
Woodland Programs Benefit From Sales
Shoppers at Barnes & Noble Booksellers can help programs at Woodland Junior High School by mentioning the school or making a donation for gift wrapping services today. Read »
Comments
To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Please read our comment policy.
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Registration is required to make comments. Click here to LOGIN.
You can register for FREE to post comments and receive alerts.