Black Friday Retail Sales Edge Up Only Slightly

Last week was Black Friday and according to new reports, Americans spent slightly more than last year. Retail spending for the day after Thanksgiving rose 0.3% to $10.69 billion, up from last year's $10.66 billion.

Yahoo news reports:

Two factors behind the slim increase, a disappointment following bullish reports from stores Friday, were heavy discounts earlier in November and online shopping, which saw a big increase.

Chicago research firm Shoppertrak, which tallies sales in more than 70,000 retail outlets across the country, said the total was still a record for the day. It stood behind its prediction for spending to rise 3.2 percent for the season.

"It's hard to say Black Friday wasn't a success, it's just not the success we saw in the mid-2000s, when the day really became a phenomenon," ShopperTrak founder Bill Martin said.

Read more here

Hate the Black Friday lines? Score deals online

I love getting a deal as much as the next person, but I’m really not willing to risk being trampled to save a buck. Luckily CNNMoney.com is letting us in on some online bargains. All the savings, none of the waiting in line at 3 am!

From CNN Money.com:

It has become as traditional as turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie: On the day after Thanksgiving, shoppers bundling up and heading out before dawn for retailer's eagerly awaited Black Friday doorbuster deals.

And after two years of dismal holiday sales, retailers are upping the ante to bring shoppers into the stores this season. This year the National Retail Federation estimates that holiday sales will increase 2.3% to $447.1 billion, much improved from last year's 0.4% uptick and the dismal 3.9% sales decline in 2008.

But for those who don't want to face the stores, don't despair. Many of the doorbuster deals will be available online, too.

"This Black Friday, I would like to stay in the comfort of my bedroom possibly online bargain shopping for maybe a table and some things to decorate my new apartment," said Kaitlynn Blyth, who waited outside last year from 7 p.m. until midnight to get Zhu Zhu pet accessories for her younger sister.

Here's where to score the deals:

Best Buy: The same products promoted in its Thanksgiving Ads -- including doorbusters -- will be available on BestBuy.com starting Thanksgiving Day. Best Buy is also offering free shipping on online orders through Dec. 21, excluding laptops, iPads, iPods and some major appliances.

Black Friday App Watch: Use Your iPhone to Shop And Save

Next month is one of the biggest shopping days of the year: Black Friday. Years ago retailers focused mostly on newspaper advertisements or mailers, however, in today’s interactive consumers regularly seek out deals online. Therefore it seems only natural that retailers are going to use iPhone Apps to help connect with customers.

Wallet Pop.com put together some of the best Black Friday apps. You can find a section of their article below, or check out the full list here.

Find the lowest prices in the shortest amount of time with the Red Laser app. Simply scan a barcode and Red Laser will find you the best deal by searching both online and in stores near your location. When scanning food products, the free application even provides nutritional information. The quick scanner will help users shop efficiently on Black Friday. Plus, the no-touch scan works perfectly for customers already juggling armfuls of deals.

Rather than searching by barcode, the 99-cent application Save Benjis hunts bargains using key words and categories. This search approach helps customers find low prices before they hit the stores. When you find the best price, purchase items right from the app. Save Benjis even features specials and coupons on many products.

Groupon enthusiasts: Download the Groupon app to save on printer ink, paper and time. The free application allows users to purchase the deals right from their iPhones. It also lets customers to find ones nearby using the iPhones' map and locator. The best part is that users can redeem Groupons directly from an iPhone, eliminating the hassle of printing the deals, or forgetting the proof at home.

For last minute buyers, find local savings nearby by using BeThere Deals. The app finds deals on everything from entertainment to apparel. The discovered deals often save customers up to 50% off original prices. BeThere Deals also finds the cheapest happy hour and restaurant prices for when shoppers work up an appetite. Currently, the free app is only available in a few cities including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, but BeThere Deals promises to add more cities soon.

Continue reading at Wallet Pop.com…

Black Friday 2010: Buy American

As our economy continues to struggle, many Americans are looking for ways to help. According to WalletPop.com, one of the best ways consumers can help with economic recovery is to ensure items you buy are made in the country. Especially as we get closer to the Black Friday holiday, where many taxpayers do most of their holiday shopping. Check out the following article from WalletPop.com.

It's the rare story about retailing that doesn't garner reader comments about where the products are made. It's also the rare retailer that makes the effort to stock only American made goods. Deborah Leydig is one of those retailers. Her Barrington, Ill. business stocks exclusively products made in this country, something that has become increasingly difficult to do.

"Deborah Leydig is in search of a can opener manufactured in the U.S.," opens a story in the Chicago Tribune. "The artist-turned-merchant had been stocking the iconic Swing-A-Way can opener, but had to stop this year when production moved overseas."

For decades, American companies have been outsourcing labor and relying on foreign production to stabilize businesses at home. Over time, it incurs cost to the environment, negatively affects our employment rates, and discredits our claims of sustainability. In a utilitarian sense, trade and commerce with other economies are of course necessary, but, is it healthy for us to rely on foreign systems? Especially when we are so proud of being self-reliant.

Leydig is just one example of a well-intentioned business owner trying to save jobs in the U.S., and she is not alone. Conscious consumerism is on the rise. Americans are buying environment-friendly goods, fair-trade products, and locally grown or made food at increasing rates.

Continue reading at WalletPop.com…

Top 10 Tips to Getting the Best Bargains on Black Friday

Tomorrow is one of the most popular shopping days of the year, with stores all across the country offering discounts on all types of products. However, before you head out tomorrow morning be sure to check out the following 10 tips for getting the best bargains from About.com.

1. Check Out the Ads

Your local Thanksgiving Day newspaper will be stuffed like your Thanksgiving turkey with ads, coupons, and circulars. This will be your number one source to local Black Friday savings. It will also help you organize your day to maximize savings, since many stores offer special discounts that are time specific. Example: Receive an extra 10 percent off if you shop before 11 a.m.

2. Do Your Research Before Friday:

If you are hoping to scoop up a deal on Friday on a big-ticket item, go ahead and get your research out of the way as soon as possible. A bad product is a bad deal no matter how cheap it costs. Being knowledgeable about the products you want to buy will help you avoid being sucker-punched with loud advertising for poor products. About.com is chocked full of buying advice on a wide variety of products from professionals who have the knowledge to help you make good decisions.

3. Compare Prices:

Utilize price-comparison Internet shopping sites such as PriceGrabber.com to assist you in comparing product prices. Compare the "options" included with the product. Some retailers will low-ball the advertised price on a stripped down product, and then you will be charged extra for the necessary parts that will make the product perform as expected. A good example of this is often seen with super low-priced computer printers that come without the cable (cord) or printer ink.

4. Look for Early Bird Shopper Discounts:

The Early Bird Shopper will be the real winner on Black Friday. Stores offering early-day shopper specials usually run the deals from 5 a.m. until 11 a.m. and with no "rain checks," which means once they run out of the products, you are out of luck. Scanning the ads and routing your trip based on your buying priorities will be important with the time-sensitive deals that will be offered.

Continued at About.com…

Black Friday: Best Day to Buy a Car

The day after Thanksgiving – known as “Black Friday” to enthusiastic bargain hunters – is one biggest shopping day of the year for retail stores across the county. However, you may not know that it is also one of the best days of the year to buy a new car. According to CNN Money.com, studies show that on Black Fridays car dealerships historically offer large discounts on both new and used cars.

Analysts looked at day-by-day car pricing for the last several years. That data revealed that discounts on Black Friday are, on average, the biggest of the year.

"The discounts from dealerships, as well as manufacturers' incentives, generate the highest discounts of the year on Black Friday," said Jesse Toprak, an analyst for Truecar.com.

Unlike typical Black Friday sales where customers know exactly what they'll pay for an item, car prices are individually negotiated the day of the sale, so it's difficult for customers to know ahead of time they'll be getting a deal. But there's been a clear trend, Toprak said.

Continue reading at CNN Money.com…