Financial analysts say shoppers scouting for day-after Christmas bargains could put retailers on the road to a record-breaking holiday shopping season. KERA’s Jacqueline Fellows reports.
Shoppers traditionally turnout in big numbers for the after Christmas sales but this year analysts expect even bigger crowds. Dallas-based financial strategist Clark Hodges says he expects it’ll be the third busiest shopping day of the season.
Hodges: Last year this day fell on a Sunday and this year falling on a Monday, which is basically a holiday anyway, you basically have kind of a basically a Good Friday-esque feel to it.
Citing the increase in holiday dollars already spent this year, Hodges says the deeper discounts and extended hours from retailers seem to have worked.
ShopperTrak, a research firm that monitors shopping trends predicts a 60-percent increase in foot traffic at big name retailers the day after Christmas. Hodges says the biggest discounts will likely be on clothes.
Hodges: It’s not gonna be such a big deal as black Friday, but it’s significant because the unknown factor is if you go to the store to return an item you may buy an additional item that you weren’t planning on buying when you left the home. Plus the real benefit for this day especially with retailers who sell clothes, is getting those clothes out of inventory and off the shelves so they can restock for spring.
This year’s Black Friday sales totaled a record 11-billion dollars.