Saturday, November 26, 2011

Black Friday and “Momentum”

By most accounts it was a strong Black Friday at U.S. retail. After a late start in holiday shopping, consumers had more things to buy when they went out on Black Friday. But retailers looking for “momentum” in the Christmas season are up against consumers who increasingly see Christmas shopping as a one-and-done occasion.

It was hard to imagine retail momentum when I saw local commercial areas this morning. After yesterday’s rush, today started off slower than a normal fall Saturday. Traffic picked up in the early afternoon but appeared to have peaked before 2 p.m.