U.S. consumers spent more than $59 billion over the Black Friday weekend, the Associated Press reports. That sets a record for the post-Thanksgiving start of the holiday shopping season, according National Retail Federation (NRF) numbers.
The Sacramento Business Journal reports that U.S. sales were up 13 percent compared to last year. Extended hours and sales by retailers helped spur consumer spending over the weekend.
Shoppers spent an average of $423 this past weekend up from $398 last year, retail surveys show.
And CNN Money reports that retailers’ push to open earlier appealed to customers. Stores that opened their doors on Thanksgiving—including Walmart, Toy“R”Us, Sears and Target—saw a boost in sales.
Meanwhile, online shopping set a record even before Cyber Monday, hitting above $1 billion for the first time, according to the Washington Business Journal.
Internet tracking firm comScore Inc. says e-commerce sales Friday reached $1.04 billion, up 26 percent from last year. Online sales on a traditionally slow Thanksgiving Day surged 32 percent from last year to $633 million.
Cyber Monday, traditionally the strongest day for e-commerce sales, should be a record-setter, too. ComScore says it could hit $1.5 billion or higher.
About 129.2 million Americans are expected to at least start their online shopping today, if they haven’t already, according to the NRF.
Nearly 72 million Americans are expected to shop from work at some point during the holiday season.
