Online shopping & retail growth over the holiday weekend

The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported that individual shoppers spent about 7% more this year than last year from Thursday through Sunday. Shoppers affected by the down economy were more cautious than in years past, with many drawn in by deep discounts from retailers. One indicator was how shoppers were searching on the Internet for Black Friday sales and promotions while preparing for the holiday-shopping weekend. According to Google, Web searches for the words "Black Friday" were up 41% from last year. Searches for the words "coupons" were up 59%, "free shipping" up 11% and "buy one get one free" up 200%.

To learn more about how Black Friday went, check out the recent articles in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.