“I am spending more, the mood generally is more upbeat,” said Sharon Neidert, 57, visiting New York City from Ohio.”My daughter moved out this year so I have more disposable income,” said Neidert, a manager at a software company.
One of the busiest shopping days of the year was off to a strong start, said Neil Saunders at GlobalData Retail.
“More people have already shopped than at this point last year, and their average spend is higher,” said Saunders.
The average spend of those who already shopped on Black Friday was $407.20, up 2.1% over last year, he said.
Early shoppers tend to buy bigger ticket items, such as electronics or furniture.
US department stores Macy’s Inc, Kohl’s Corp, JC Penney Co Inc and Target Corp were all down between 1 and 3% yesterday and weighed on the broader S&P 500 retailing index, down 0.15%.
Victoria’s Secret owner L Brands, Walmart Inc and American Eagle Outfitters were some of the top gainers on the index, rising between 0.5 to 3%. Shoppers spent $643mn online by 10 a.m.
ET on Black Friday, with smartphone sales lifting overall online spending by 27.8% from a year ago, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks transactions at 80 of the top 100 US online retailers.
Online spending is on track to hit $6.4bn yesterday, which is likely to either match or surpass last year’s Cyber Monday revenue of $6.6bn, Adobe said.
Online sales on Thanksgiving Day were up 28% at $3.7bn.
The National Retail Federation forecast US holiday retail sales in November and December will increase between 4.3 and 4.8% over 2017 for a total of $717.45bn to $720.89bn.
That compares with an average annual increase of 3.9% over the past five years.
About 38% of American consumers plan to shop on Black Friday, and six in 10 anticipate making at least half of their holiday purchases on that day, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed last week.
Shoppers picked up big-ticket items such as TVs, Apple Inc iPads and Watches at Target, while phones, toys, gaming consoles and cookware were top sellers at Walmart Inc Some of the deals:
n An H&M store in Manhattan offered 30% off everything in-store and online.
n Macy’s in Herald Square, Manhattan, sold a Coach designer wallet, originally $225, for $53.
n At a Chicago-area Pandora, which makes popular charm bracelets that can cost up to $1,000, jewelry was 35% off before 10 a.m. and 25% off for the remainder of the day.
n A sign in the window of a Gap Factory Store in Jackson Heights, Queens, promoted “60 Percent Off Everything.”
n Walmart was selling a Roomba WiFi robot vacuum online or for in-store pickup for $100 off at $194.
n Buy one, get one free pajamas at Victoria’s Secret.
Charlotte Jackson, from London, come to New York with her mother for Black Friday shopping.
“Black Friday isn’t as big of a deal back home,” Jackson, a 27-year-old tax adviser, said while shopping for lingerie and pajamas at Victoria’s Secret.
Many retailers, reacting to the bankruptcy of the Toys ‘R’ Us chain, are catering to parents.
Target said in October it planned to dedicate nearly a quarter of a million square feet of new space to its toy business across 500 of its stores.
The discount chain’s customers will also be able to shop for more than 2,500 new and exclusive toys, Mark Tritton, Target’s chief merchandising officer said.
“Toys R Us had better quality for toys,” said Ashley Drew, 29, who shopping for her 5-year-old daughter at a Los Angeles area Walmart next door to the empty shell of a Toys R Us store.
Department store JC Penney Co Inc, known for its mid-priced apparel, has also made a push into toys.
Sabrina Wengert, a 38-year-old homemaker, picked up a Discovery Art set and a Ned’s Head guessing game for her 9-year-old daughter.
“The toy section at JC Penney looks good and they have stocked more toys at Target too, but Toys ‘R’ Us going out of business is a big loss,” she said.”We are shopping for toys on Amazon this year as well.”
Shortly before 6am yesterday, shoppers were banging on the door at a Bath & Body Works in the Waterfront Mall in Pittsburgh, lining up for discounted candles, soaps and lotion, while long lines formed at checkout counters in a Dick’s Sporting Goods store in the mall.
There was little evidence of the delirious shopper frenzy of Black Fridays from past years, in other parts of the country, especially the Northeast, where crowds were thin due to record-setting cold weather.
An Athleta clothing store in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia, provided hot chocolate with marshmallows to women in line for the dressing room.