Wrentham officials have warned of traffic delays as early risers hit the road early on Black Friday to try to get some serious business at Massachusetts stores. The Wrentham Outlets, which were closed on Thanksgiving, opened before sunrise. Traffic was jammed on Interstate 495 approaching outlets before 9 a.m. “Everyone seems happy and nice despite the crazy traffic. It’s the season I guess. If you lose patience in the traffic, reverse direction, go home, eat the leftovers, shop another time. Take advantage of the sales!” McGrath posted on Twitter. At the Burlington Mall, shoppers lined up before 6 a.m. at the Lego store and GameStop. Despite the fact that many stores are offering deals ahead of Black Friday, shoppers still want to take advantage of the sales in person. “Discounts ranging from 40, to 50, to 65 – many of these offers are only available in-store. Retailers want you to come and shop. It’s the touch, the try, the feel and buying,” said Sheila Hennessy of the Burlington Mall. The Burlington Mall may look different to some shoppers – there are 33 new stores in the mall. As Black Friday marks a return to traditional holiday shopping habits, inflation is weighing on consumers. High prices for food, rent, gasoline and other household expenses have taken their toll on buyers. As a result, many are hesitant to spend unless there’s a big sale and are more selective with what they’ll buy – in many cases, they opt for cheaper products and cheaper stores. Shoppers are also tapping more into their savings, increasingly turning to “buy now, pay later” services like Afterpay that allow users to pay for items in installments, as well as use their credit cards to a time when the Federal Reserve raises rates to cool the US economy. This year’s trends contrast with those of a year ago, when consumers were buying early for fear of not getting what they needed amid supply network obstructions. Stores didn’t have to do a lot of discounting because they had trouble bringing items. The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales growth to slow to a range of 6% to 8%, compared to the meteoric growth of 13.5% a year ago. However, these figures, which include online spending, are not adjusted for inflation, so actual spending may even be down from a year ago. Adobe Analytics expects online sales to grow 2.5% from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, a slowdown from last year’s 8.6% pace, when shoppers were unsure of return to physical stores. The two-month period between Thanksgiving and Christmas accounts for about 20% of the retail industry’s annual sales. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Wrentham officials have warned of traffic delays as early risers hit the road early on Black Friday to try to strike serious deals at Massachusetts stores.
The Wrentham Outlets, which were closed on Thanksgiving Day, opened before sunrise. Traffic was saved on Interstate 495 approaching outlets before 9 a.m.
“Everyone seems happy and nice despite the crazy traffic. Tis the season I guess. If you lose patience in the traffic, back up, go home, eat the leftovers, shop some other time. Take advantage of the sales! ” McGrath posted on Twitter.
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At the Burlington Mall, shoppers lined up before 6 a.m. at the Lego store and GameStop.
Despite the fact that many stores are offering deals ahead of Black Friday, shoppers still want to take advantage of the sales in person.
“Discounts ranging from 40, to 50, to 65 – many of these offers are only available in-store. Retailers want you to come and experience shopping. It’s the touch, the try , feel and purchase,” Sheila said. Hennessy, from the Burlington mall.
The Burlington Mall may look different to some shoppers – there are 33 new stores in the mall.
As Black Friday marks a return to typical holiday shopping habits, inflation is weighing on consumers.
High prices for food, rent, gasoline and other household expenses weighed on buyers. As a result, many are hesitant to spend unless there’s a big sale and are more selective with what they’ll buy – in many cases, swapping to cheaper products and cheaper stores.
Shoppers are also tapping more into their savings, increasingly turning to “buy now, pay later” services like Afterpay that allow users to pay for items in installments, as well as use their credit cards to a time when the Federal Reserve raises rates to cool the US economy.
This year’s trends contrast with those of a year ago, when consumers were buying early for fear of not getting what they needed amid supply network obstructions. Stores didn’t have to do a lot of discounting because they had trouble bringing items.
The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales growth to slow to a range of 6% to 8%, compared to the meteoric growth of 13.5% a year ago. However, these figures, which include online spending, are not adjusted for inflation, so actual spending may even be down from a year ago.
Adobe Analytics expects online sales to grow 2.5% from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, a slowdown from last year’s 8.6% pace when shoppers were unsure to return to physical stores.
Analysts see the five-day Black Friday weekend, which includes Cyber Monday, as a key barometer of shoppers’ willingness to spend, especially this year. The two-month period between Thanksgiving and Christmas accounts for about 20% of annual retail sales.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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