Black Friday results: More shoppers hit stores this weekend but they spent less

Posted: 7:51 p.m. November 29, 2009

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As the closely-watched Black Friday weekend winds down, a National Retail Federation survey conducted over the weekend said that this year, more people shopped but they spent less.

According to NRF’s Black Friday shopping survey, 195 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 172 million last year.

However, the average spending over the weekend dropped to $343.31 per person from $372.57 a year ago. Total spending reached an estimated $41.2 billion.

Employees as several Ann Arbor area stores said that spending appeared to be lower in this area; they also noted that crowds feel off dramatically on Saturday after decent-sized crowds on Friday.

Meanwhile, across the U.S., holiday shopping held steady through the weekend after retailers saw a huge crowd of bargain shoppers buying discounted flat-panel TVs and fleece jackets on Black Friday, the traditional post-Thanksgiving Day shopping spree.

That's according to the Associated Press, which reports that online sales also rose 11 percent on Thursday and Friday.

Read the rest of the AP story here.