According to an annual survey from the National Retail Federation, 200.4 million people did some shopping from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. That’s nearly 4 million more than last year and 18 million more than expected. Most of the increase was among online shoppers, who totaled 134.2 million. But Small Business Saturday drew a majority of retail activity ($59M) to brick-and-mortar stores. Get more numbers from the NRF report.
The day after Christmas — or Boxing Day — doesn’t have anything to do with the sport of boxing, but it does have a lot in common with other sports. Here’s what we mean…
For me, Boxing Day is a foot race to the stores to return doubled-up or unwanted gifts and to take advantage of deals that inevitably pop up the day after everyone opens their presents. Even if I don’t have anything to return or a particular item on my mind, I love the rush of a good sale and the flurry of people emerging from their holiday haze. Look for me at the mall the morning after!
Recovering from an onslaught of family and feasting is more like a lazy game of golf on a Sunday afternoon. It takes a little time dragging yourself out of bed and getting into the swing of the game. But once you do, it’s all downhill from there. So maybe it’s more like going up a ski lift and coming down the mountain. As long as there’s hot chocolate at the end of the journey, I’m there.
While the holidays might look a little different this year, it's more important than ever to support our local communities and small business owners. This year, I'm looking forward to shopping small. Here are some of my favorite local vendors:
Therapy Stores – Let your favorites do the choosing! Send a gift card to a loved one that they can redeem for whatever strikes their fancy at this SF online boutique.
Present – A friendly store in Downtown Los Altos featuring gifts, gift baskets, and gift boxes of artisanal food, chocolates, beauty and spa products, candles, mugs and vases.
Sugar Butter Flour – You can get any kind of cake or dessert you can imagine at this Sunnyvale staple. My favorite is the Princess Cake. It melts in your mouth!
The annual spree of Black Friday madness ensues today, but a lot of online sales are already underway, and more retailers are getting into the mix every day. If you’re looking for a new fridge or a flatscreen TV to tie the room together, now’s the time to strike before the deals disappear! Get the scoop from the Radio Times.
