Don_Kenobi
/ 83.5.209.* / 2009-12-02 11:18
The reported uptick in spending over the Black Friday weekend hasn’t changed the National Retail Federation’s prediction of a 1 percent decline for the holiday shopping season. Increases in electronics, jewelry and online purchases in November countered declines in apparel, luxury and department-store sales, according to data released today by MasterCard Advisors in its SpendingPulse report.
U.S. retail sales on Black Friday and the ensuing weekend advanced 0.5 percent as discounts on televisions and toys drew budget-conscious crowds, the Washington-based National Retail Federation reported on Nov. 29.
Spending rose to $41.2 billion from $41 billion a year earlier, the NRF said, citing a survey by polling firm BIGresearch. While more people visited stores and Web sites, the average shopper spent $343.31, less than $372.57 a year ago, the federation said.