Want to know how Black Friday went?
Take your pick.
Some industry groups and national research firms say bigger crowds turned out for the day after Thanksgiving's start of the holiday shopping season, some say numbers were down. Some say sales were up slightly, some say shoppers spent less.
But local retailers interviewed Monday said they were pleased with Friday's turnout and the sales.
"We had a huge crowd, the most people we've ever had in the store," said Bryan Brown, manager of the Duluth Younkers store, which opened at 4 a.m. to waiting shoppers. "It really went well."
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While some stores opened earlier than last year, Younkers also opened at 4 a.m. last year.
"It was sufficiently busy [last year] so we repeated that," Brown said.
Home items, fashion accessories, toys, shoes and boots were popular items at Younkers. Doorbuster specials, like the microfiber comforter for $19.97 (regular $120-$160) drew people to the store. Another item, hundreds of pet beds for $9.97 each (regular $40), sold out in a half hour.
"I was very happy how the weekend went," Brown said. "We were swamped. People were out in force and they were in a good mood."
At the Target store, Carlye Carlson reports weekend sales up quite a bit from last year, especially for Friday when the store opened at 5 a.m., an hour earlier than last year.
"A lot of other retailers were opening earlier to be aggressive and stay up with the times," said Carlson, an assistant manager.
The earlier start time Friday paid off with more customers than last year, she said, attributing the increase to great sales and good promotional ads.
The Associated Press, however, reports retail sales nationwide up only slightly for Black Friday. While shoppers packed stores, they stuck to their lists, going for deeply discounted and practical items.
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A National Retail Federation weekend survey found more shoppers headed out this year while it was still dark outside to get the best bargains. Nearly one third were at the stores by
5 a.m., compared to 23 percent a year ago.
Almost half visited department stores over the weekend, a 13 percent increase over last year as shoppers sought low prices and good quality. Discount retailers came in second with 43 percent of shoppers heading there.
But the survey also found the average shopper spending less during the weekend -- $343, down from $373 a year ago.
