Black Friday breaks record

A carnival of consumerism, Black Friday offers great discounts to attract shoppers.

The day after American Thanksgiving marks the official beginning of Christmas holiday shopping and offers significant discounts to entice consumers to begin the shopping frenzy. With a record-breaking number of shoppers, nearly 247 million in all, searching for discounts in the U.S. Black Friday can be the highest sales day of the year for many retailers, according to the U.S. National Retail Federation.

It’s not an official holiday but many agree it may as well be, according to an unscientific Twitter poll posted by @ChristmasCountdown. Coupon clippers and bargain hunters line up in the cold and dark –usually accompanied by chairs, sleeping bags, coffee and a few friends – hoping to score door-buster giveaways and a truckload of consumer goods. According to Google Trends, fanatic shoppers have been camped outside a Best Buy in California since Nov. 22 – 11 days before doors opened for Black Friday.

While most stores open at midnight, some corporations such as Target, Walmart and Macy’s opened their doors late Thursday to capture a larger crowd.

By Friday morning shoppers like Chris Johnson of Clinton, Mich. had already made multiple purchases.

“I wanted to get out early to get the best deals,” said Johnson, 19. “I started at the stores that opened earlier than midnight, like Target, and then made my way to the mall for some deals on clothes. There were already so many people in line and I noticed a lot of them were in their teens and twenties.”

Johnson said he left his family during Thanksgiving dinner to take advantage of the deals.

“You got to do what you got to do,” Johnson said. “I bought two 40 inch televisions, Xbox Kinect, some video games, a couple new outfits and some Christmas presents for my family. Overall I’d say I spent about $700 and it was all worth it.”

Many Canadian cities embraced the holiday in attempt to keep shoppers from travelling across the border. Despite their efforts, many chose to travel to the U.S. staying overnight to experience the extreme price cuts.

Windsorite Brittany Bay, 23, said she had a great yet stressful time shopping at Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor.

“The lines were ridiculous,” Bay said. “The mall was absolutely packed and you could barely walk without knocking shoulders with other people. I waited in line for about an hour to buy clothes and wanted to go in a few other stores but the lines looked way too long.”

Bay said the line at Victoria’s Secret was approximately three hours long.

“It was my first time going Black Friday shopping and even though I had fun with my friends I wouldn’t go again unless I needed major electronic products. That’s the only thing you’re really going to get good deals on,” Bay said. “I really feel bad for the people that have to work. They probably have the worst time ever.”

In 2010, 212 million shoppers across the U.S. spent US$39 billion for an average spending amount of $365.34 per person. This year people spent an average of $398 each, according to Belle News, an Illinois newspaper. This year shoppers spent an average of $423 and $59.1 billion cumulatively, according to the U.S. National Retail Federation.

Self-proclaimed Black Friday fanatic, James Brown, 34, said he has been researching the best deals for almost two months. The Ann Arbor resident cut out almost 75 coupons from local newspapers for items he was anticipating purchasing.

“I’ve been Black Friday shopping since I was 16 and I’ve always loved it. I’ve gotten really good at it because I map out my route and only buy the best deals,” Brown said. “I spend about $400 every year on this date, buying all of my Christmas presents.”

Brown said he will shop only alone because it’s too hard to keep track of others while dealing with the massive crowds. He also said he will only shop at large department stores near his house.

“It’s like a war zone – everyone for themselves,” Brown said. “You have to be smart about this because people are crazy and will literally do anything for what they want. I’ve seen it all: scratching, climbing on top of people, fights, biting … you name it I’ve seen it.”

Black Friday can be argued as an essential one-day economic stimulus plan, often creating many temporary jobs. Retailers use commercials, social media, tax breaks and other methods to draw consumers to spend millions of dollars to circulate through the U.S economy.

Although sales broke records this year, people were more conscious of how they were spending. According to the U.S. National Retail Federation, two-thirds of consumers used cash or debit instead of credit.

To lure shoppers who may try to avoid the hectic holiday, many retailers extend their discounts to a weekend affair. Cyber Monday will follow on Nov. 26 to continue the kick-off to the holiday shopping season.