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The early word:
A bigger Black Friday

More people than last year, 134 million, plan to shop

By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Nov 25, 2009

While forecasts are still mixed for holiday spending this year, it looks like more people will at least be out looking for bargains on Friday. And they'll be doing it before many of us have even gone to bed.

A study conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGresearch finds that up to 134 million people plan to hit the stores on Black Friday, up from 128 million last year.

That includes 57 million who say they will "definitely" be shopping and 77 million who want to check out the sales being offered before they go.

As to where Black Friday shoppers are headed, cheaper prices are still luring them in. Two-thirds plan to visit a discount store.

Sixty-two percent say they will shop a department store, while 41 percent are headed to an electronics store, 36 percent will visit a clothing or clothing accessories store, and 29 percent will visit a grocery store.

About 40 percent say they are swayed to visit stores by their circular ads or coupons, and most retailers plan to feature special Black Friday deals on their web sites, according to BIG.

Just over a quarter plan to shop online, where traffic has increased over recent days to Black Friday-oriented sites. Hitwise, the online measurement company, reports that visits to such sites are up 4 percent over last year for the week ending Nov. 21.

Much of that traffic is coming from referrals to retail web sites from Black Friday sites, with Wal-mart leading the way with 13 percent of that traffic.

If you plan to go out on Friday, be prepared to do some waiting. Not only are more people braving the Black Friday crowds, they're doing so super-early. Ten percent of shoppers say they will get to the stores between midnight and 3 a.m. to ensure their place in line.

Nearly 30 percent will go between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., while another 28 percent will arrive between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.

Louisa Ada Seltzer is a staff writer for Media Life.	© 2010 Media Life Magazine

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