NRF: Record 247 million shopped holiday weekend
from MarketWatch.com - MarketPulse
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- A total of 89 million Americans shopped online and in stores on Black Friday, up from 86 million in 2011, the National Retail Federation said Sunday in a news release. The NRF survey conducted by BIGinsight found a record 247 million shoppers visited stores and websites during Black Friday weekend, up from 226 million last year, with the average holiday shopper spending $423 this weekend, up from $398 last year. More than 35 million Americans visited retail stores and websites Thursday, up from 29 million last year, the trade group said. Big box stores including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. were open on Thanksgiving night, attracting "some of the spending that's usually meant for Friday," according to ShopperTrack, which tracks retail foot traffic.