The Student News Website of Susquehannock High School,   Glen Rock, Pennsylvania.

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The Student News Website of Susquehannock High School,   Glen Rock, Pennsylvania.

SHS Courier

The Student News Website of Susquehannock High School,   Glen Rock, Pennsylvania.

SHS Courier

Black Friday shocks again

The day after Thanksgiving, known to most as Black Friday, is the beginning of the holiday shopping season for people all over the country.

  Whether you’re looking for a laptop, a smartphone, a tablet, or the best deals on clothes, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the Monday following Thanksgiving, are great days to start your shopping at a low price.

Photo by Inoyamanaka79, via Wikimedia Commons. Wal-Mart topped the sales charts this Black Friday, being one of the most frequently shopped site online.

  According to businessweek.com, many more people shopped over the holiday weekend than last year, but these people spent 2.9% less than shoppers did last year. Almost 141 million people started their shopping on November 28, 2 million more than last year. The average consumer spent about $407.02, a 3.9% drop from 2012’s sales.

  Many more retailers chose to open on Thanksgiving, taking a lot of sales from Black Friday. More shoppers headed out shopping after eating their meal to compete with others for the best deals. Big name retail stores like Macy’s, Target, and Best Buy opened their doors at 8:00 p.m. for waiting shoppers.  Businessweek.com reported that sales on Black Friday fell 13.2% from 2012, and those who actually walked into a store dropped 11.4%.

  Senior Melissa Keuler hit the stores at 2 a.m. on Friday morning, driving all the way to Park City mall to get good discounts at PINK and Kohl’s.

  “A lot of shoppers showed up at 8 p.m. for all of the stores that were opening,” said Keuler. “The parking lot was full when we got there, and the line was out the mall doors.”

  Shoppers should also expect stores to hold big sales like Black Friday all throughout the month of December. An analyst for Bloomberg Industries stated that “since many retailers will be disappointed with the Thanksgiving holiday sales, they will have to offer more discounts through the month of December to make up lost ground. It was very crowded.”

  Clothes were a big part of Black Friday sales, making up 28% of all purchases over the period, followed closely by toys, making up 11% of purchases. Technology gifts were also popular, 29% of shoppers who bought electronics over the weekend bought tablets; Wal-Mart selling 1.4 million tablets alone, according usatoday.com.

  Online shopping was huge this holiday season; Thanksgiving online sales totaled up to $1.06 billion, an 18% increase from last year. Black Friday digital sales totaled $1.93 billion, a 39% increase from 2012. Businessweek.com reported that tablets and big-screen TVs were the most popular purchases made online, the buying of tablets rose 90% from last year, while smartphones surprisingly totaled 66% of online sales.

  According to businessweek.com, Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target were the most frequently shopped websites, with most shoppers making their purchases on their tablets and smartphones. Walmart is expected to record its biggest Cyber Monday yet, coming off a record-breaking Black Friday. Heading into Monday afternoon, Walmart had already sold out of the Sony Playstation 4 and Xbox One consoles, which weren’t even on discount.

Photo by: KUsam, from Wikimedia Commons. eBay topped Cyber Monday sales along with top site, Amazon.

Amazon sales were up 44.3% from last year as of 6:00 p.m. on Monday, while sales at eBay were up 32.1% reported usatoday.com. Online marketplaces are also getting most of their success because shoppers are heading to these sites to find popular products that bigger retail stores have sold out of. Big name retailers, including Target and Sears, are also making Cyber Monday more into Cyber Week, stretching their sales well beyond Monday.

  Although the holiday weekend didn’t rack up as much sales as retailers would have wanted, shoppers still got their fill of discounts. 2013 will most likely be remembered as the year that online shopping was done on tablets and smartphones.

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Black Friday shocks again