Stores hit by shopping frenzy
Like their counterparts across the country, McMinnville retail stores reported booming day-after Thanksgiving sales Friday.
“We’ve had an outstanding day, better than we expected,” said JCPenney manager Jamie Dowdy.
Dowdy, who noted 75 percent of his store’s Friday business was done between the hours of 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., said he expects the high-volume sales to continue through the holiday season, and he’s not alone in this assessment.
According to the National Retail Federation, this year’s total holiday sales are expected to increase 5.7 percent over last year’s totals, up to $217.4 billion. The average shopper, according to the organization, will spend an average $672 this holiday season. In all, it is estimated holiday retail sales will account for between 25 and 40 percent of retailers’ annual sales.
Known in the retail industry as “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving is traditionally the biggest and busiest shopping day of the year. Causing this shopping rush, in large part, is the slew of bargains offered to customers by a majority of retailers.
Deals such as DVD players for $29.97 and 27-inch TVs for $129.97 attracted customers estimated in the hundreds to Wal-Mart Friday morning, many arriving before dawn.
“By the time our security guard came in at 7 a.m., he had to park on Anderson Street. All of our parking spaces were full,” Wal-Mart co-manager Annie Cantrell said early Friday afternoon. “We’re just tickled with our sales. It’s been wonderful today. By lunchtime we were number one in our district in sales.”
While many people consider holiday shopping to be a holiday tradition in its own right, many others will continue a new tradition of shopping on the Internet. According to estimates, online holiday sales are expected to increase 42 percent, up to $12.2 billion.