In a time of online store, Black Friday still lures a crowd

NEW YORK – It had been easy to turn on their computers at home over left turkey plates and take advantage of the Black Friday deals most dealers now offer online. [1[ads1]9659005] But across the country thousands of shoppers floated to the shops on Thanksgiving or woke up before dawn the next day to take part in this most famous ritual of American consumerism.

Shoppere spent their vacation outside of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota at 4:00 pm, and the crowd had swelled to 3,000 people when the doors opened an hour later. In Ohio, a group of women was so determined, they booked a hotel room on Thursday night to be closer to the stores. In New York City, a woman went straight from a dance club to a department store in the middle of the night.

Many customers said that Black Friday is so much about the act as it is about doorman.

Kati Anderson said she stopped at Atlanta Cumberland Mall on Friday morning for discounted clothes as well as "the people are watching." Her friend, Katie Nasworthy, said she went to the mall instead of shopping online because she likes to see Christmas decorations.

"It does not really feel like Christmas until now," said Kim Bryant, acting in the suburbs of Denver with her daughter and daughter's friend who had dressed at 5:40 when the doors opened at 6:00 pm [19659010] Brick-and-mortar stores have worked hard to prove that they can counteract the competition from the online behemoth Amazon. From Macy to Target and Walmart, retailers mix their online store experience with new tools like digital maps on smartphones and more opportunities for buyers to buy online and pick up at the stores. And customers, frustrated with long cashlines, can check out at Walmart and other stores with a seller in the stores.

Consumers almost doubled their online orders that they picked up in stores from Wednesday to Thanksgiving, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks online spending.

Priscilla Page, 28, stopped his order number in a kiosk near the entrance of a Walmart in Louisville, Kentucky. She found a good online deal for a gift for her boyfriend and came to the store to pick it up.

"I have never responded Friday before," she said, when the staff gave her the bag later. "I'm not the most patient person ever. Crowds, lines, waiting, it's not really my thing." This was much easier. "

The holiday season presents a big test for an American economy whose overall growth so far this year has sustained an outbreak of spending. The Americans peaked in the first half of 2018 at the strongest pace for four years, but retail sales gains have declined recently. Sales figures during the next month will be a good indicator of whether consumers just relax in order to get their breath or feel less optimistic about the economy in 2019.

The National Retail Federation, the nation's largest retail group, expects vacation retailing to increase so much as 4.8 percent in 2017 for a total of 720.89 billion dollars. Sales growth marks a decline from last year's 5.3 percent, but remains healthy.

The retail economy is also sloping steeply towards online shopping. Over the last 12 months, purchases at other retailers like Amazon have risen 12.1 percent, as sales in traditional stores have fallen 0.3 percent. Adobe Analytics reported Thursday that Thanksgiving reached a $ 3.7 billion record in online store, up 28 percent from the same year ago. For Black Friday, online expenses were going to hit over $ 6.4 billion, according to Adobe.

Target reported that customers purchased big ticket products like TV, iPads and Apple Watches. Among the most popular toys were Lego, L.O.L. Surprise from MGA Entertainment and Mattel's Barbie. It said players picked up game consoles like Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Others reported stumbling upon more unclear savings. At a Cincinnati mall, Bethany Carrington paid a $ 29 all-in-one trimmer for the man's nose hair needs, and for $ 17, "the biggest Mr. Potato Head I've ever seen."

Black Friday itself has morphed from a single day when people got up early to score doorbusters for a whole month of deals. Lots of big stores, including Macy, Walmart and Target, started their deals on Thanksgiving evening. But some families are stunned by their Black Friday traditions.

"We boycotted Thursday shopping, it's the day of the family, but the experience on Friday is just fun," said Michelle Wise, shopping at the Denver Park Meadows Mall with her daughters, 16-year-old Ashleigh and 14-year-old Avery.

By midnight on Friday there had been no widespread reports of the deal-inspired chaos that became central to Black Friday's lore-fist fighting over discounted televisions or stamped against coveted sales articles.

Two men In an Alabama Mall, one of the men opened fire, shot the other man and a 12-year-old opponent, both were taken to the hospital with injuries. The police shot and killed the gunman. said if the incident was related to Black Friday shopping or whether it originated from an independent dispute.

Candice Clark came to Walmart in Louisville with her 19 year old daughter Desiree Douthitt, looked and noticed how fun we all Rket. They have long been devotees of Black Friday deals and for many years braved the crowds and chaos. Clark's son, about 10 years ago, hit his head with a griddle that shoppers threw over it. They saw that a woman blows a Taser and threatens to use it on everyone who came between her and her desired fonduepot.

They have seen over the years when today's traditional insane has spread like shopping transferred to online stores and stores stretched from a one-day sprint to a day-long marathon.

"It seems quite normal in here," said Roy Heller when he came to Louisville Walmart, a little smile of Black Friday shopping, but pleasantly surprised that he did not even have to queue.

He had tried to buy his son a toy robot on Amazon, but it was sold out. Friday morning he searched frantically on the internet and found a single robot again, on a Walmart 25 miles from his home. He bought it online and came an hour later to pick it up.

The workers delivered their purse, he held it up and declared: "I got the last one in Louisville!"

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Galofaro is based in Louisville, Kentucky. Associated Press authors Jeff Martin in Atlanta, Ryan Tarinelli in Dallas, Katie Foody in Denver, Angie Wang in Cincinnati, Amy Taxin from Costa Mesa, California, also contributed to this report.

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