Black Friday Shopping May Be ‘Losing Its Charm,’ Says Newly Published Consumer Reports Poll
"Black Friday" has become as much a part of the holiday season as mistletoe, Christmas trees and candy canes. Over the past several years we've seen Black Friday madness at its best but according to a new poll, the allure of Black Friday may not actually be all that alluring anymore.
According to a report published this week by Consumer Reports, 53 percent of those polled said they have no intention of shopping any time during that five-day melee between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. On top of that, 39 percent of respondents reported that they're less likely to shop at some point during the span vs. last year, while only 10 percent said they feel they'll be more likely to shop compared to 2013.
"The thrill of shopping on the Black Friday weekend may have lost its luster," Consumer Reports said. "More than half of Americans say they won't be shopping at all, and three-quarters of people skipping stores say it's because of crowds."
Interestingly, of the 47 percent of pollsters who do plan to buy gifts on the biggest day in retail, 38 percent report that they will be making their holiday purchases "exclusively online." This is in comparison to the 30 percent who say they intend to shop strictly in-store.
"The change in shopping behavior from mall to mouse has a whole lot to do with convenience," Tod Marks, Consumer Reports' senior project editor said. "People hate crowds. Men, in particular, are eschewing stores for the internet."
The Consumer Reports poll cites a number of additional reasons why consumers -- both male and female -- prefer to either shop online or not at all during the post-Thanksgiving spending frenzy. The top reasons reported by respondents: a deep hatred for waking up so very, very early; they would rather spend time with family or doing something else; and lastly, that they feel the Black Friday deals are "over-hyped."
For those polled who plan to brave the crowds over the coming days, 34 percent of respondents say they intend to do all of their shopping on Black Friday itself, 23 percent said they plan to get in on the Cyber Monday deals and 20 percent said they'd take to the stores on Saturday or Sunday.
Interestingly, a good deal of major retailers opted for an unfamiliar time stop for holiday shopping this year - Thanksgiving Day itself. Of those polled, 15 percent said they planned to shop after a big turkey dinner.
Consumer Reports also inquired as to which products consumers will be on the prowl for in their hunt for a good deal. The response this year barely differed from years prior and topping the shopping lists are clothing and electronics.
Of those surveyed, 53 percent said they'll be shopping for new threads, 51 percent are in the market for new TVs, tablets, gaming consoles and other consumer electronics, 38 percent plan to prowl for goods and appliances, and lastly 14 percent will be making jewelry purchases.
And while it's up in the air as to whether this loss of appeal in terms of Black Friday shopping is an attitude that will continue spiraling downward in the coming years or if it's just a temporary feeling of disenchantment, only time will tell. But in keeping up the holiday tradition, here is a breakdown from the poll showing the stats on why many, many people will go out this weekend spending crash like crazy:
...in no particular order...
1. I get the best deals of the year - 48 percent
2. I want to get items before they're out of stock - 24 percent
3. It's tradition - 29 percent
4. I enjoy the energy of the holiday season - 25 percent
5. It's the best time to get my holiday shopping done - 20 percent
6. I just want to get out of the house - 16 percent
7. I want to get my shopping done all at once - 14 percent
8. I want to take advantage of time off from work - 12 percent
9. I enjoy the shopping competition - 9 percent
10. It's a good way to escape house guests - 6 percent
The Consumer Reports National Research Center says it designed this survey to explore "general sentiment" shopping behaviors for the 2014 winter holiday season.
The poll was administered online in November 2014 to a nationally representative sample of 1,758 randomly selected adult U.S. residents. The data were reportedly statistically weighed so that respondents who participated were demographically and geographically representative of the U.S. population. The margin of error is +/- 2.5 percent points at the 95 percent confidence level.
For the latest news & updates, follow reporter Bary Alyssa Johnson on Twitter: @MissBary
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