Black Friday is losing its grip on the shopping calendar

 

WASHINGTON — It’s a longtime tradition to stuff your turkey and your face on Thanksgiving Day, then stuff your shopping bags on the day after.

But Black Friday has lost some of its luster. For the first time since 2005, Black Friday is not expected to be the biggest day of the holiday shopping season in terms of sales and customer traffic.

ShopperTrak, which tracks customers at retailers and shopping malls, predicts that the last Saturday
before Christmas, known as “Super Saturday,” will be tops for sales and crowds.

In terms of store traffic, ShopperTrak doesn’t even think Black Friday will take second place this year; they’re putting it third, with the day after Christmas in second.

For store sales, Black Friday is expected to be second-best, with Saturday, Dec. 13, in third place.

ShopperTrak says one reason Black Friday isn’t as frenzied as it once was is that retailers are starting holiday sales earlier in the year, so they’re more spread out.

Stores are also opening, and more shoppers shopping, on Thanksgiving Day, evidently at the expense of Black Friday.

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