'Black Friday' is golden for business

JOEL DAVIDSON

Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA -- Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, saw thousands of Valley shoppers fill malls, shops and big-box stores in search of holiday bargains.

Last year, shoppers spent $7.2 billion, nationwide, on Black Friday and if the week before Thanksgiving was any indication of consumer enthusiasm, this year's Black Friday should have ended up golden for local businesses.

ShopperTrak RCT Corp.'s National Retail Sales Estimate reported that U.S. retail sales for the week ending Nov. 20 rose 2.1 percent as compared to the same week in 2003.

Even before Black Friday, the holiday shopping season was well under way, causing the overall level of sales to reach its highest point of the year to date and indicating a strong holiday retail season ahead.

On a week-by-week comparison, sales increased 4.9 percent as compared to the week ending Nov. 13.

The term "Black Friday" has been around for decades to designate the launch of the critical shopping period when retailers shift into profitability for the year, moving from the "red" into the "black."

Last year, Black Friday was the busiest shopping day of the year -- knocking the Saturday before Christmas from its number-one perch.

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.