Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday sales down slightly by 0.5%, ShopperTrak reports

CHICAGO — ShopperTrak on Saturday reported that sales at brick-and-mortar retailers were relatively flat as compared to last year, down 0.5% over Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday from the $12.4 billion tracked in 2013.

 

"We've seen an increase in Thanksgiving shopping over the past few years at the expense of Black Friday," said Bill Martin, ShopperTrak founder. "More stores are opening, and earlier, which has caused a shift in shopping patterns. While Thanksgiving store visits increased 27.3%, Black Friday was down about 5.6%."

 

Martin noted that the two-day sales spree is not necessarily a good predictor of the rest of the holiday spending season. "In 2013, the Black Friday weekend produced a 1% gain, underperforming the 3.1% gain for the entire season," he said.