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Nearly 180 million shoppers made in-store and online purchases
during the holiday weekend, exceeding the National Retail
Federation’s initial expectations by more than 21 million. Black
Friday remained the most popular day for in-store shopping with
more than 66 million venturing out.
“I think people had COVID overload and they would like to get
out, but the data does support it,” Michael Miller, associate
professor of economics at DePaul University, told WTTW. “On
Black Friday, we had lots of people visiting the stores.”
Mastercard Spending Pulse data revealed that sales in stores
surged over 16% over last year as shoppers returned to malls
likely after being vaccinated for COVID-19.
According to the NRF, retailers saw an increase in foot traffic
over the weekend, with about 105 million shoppers visiting
stores, up from 92.3 million in 2020. The overall number of
online shoppers decreased to a total of 127.8 million from 145.4
million last year.
Mike Heuermann, general manager of Bass Pro Shops in East
Peoria, said they experienced a large turnout over the weekend,
noting there were more than 500 people lined up at the door on
Friday.
Richard Johnson, CEO of Foot Locker with 21 locations in
Illinois, said despite supply chain issues, shoppers are
spending money.
“It puts a lot of pressure on the team to react and find other
opportunities, but our consumer is very clearly out to shop and
if they don’t find their preferred style, color or size, they
are really going to the next available,” Johnson told Yahoo
Finance.
Thanksgiving weekend shoppers spend an average of $301 on
holiday-related purchases such as gifts, décor and toys. That is
down slightly from 2020.
“The Thanksgiving holiday weekend remains a significant time for
friends and families to check specific holiday items off their
lists,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Over the last
few years, consumers have shifted their holiday shopping plans
to start earlier in the season.”
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