Black Friday Sales Up 3 Percent This Year

That’s good news for retailers who were relying on a boost from the traditional day after Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza. Last year, shoppers spent $10.3 billion on Black Friday, and this year those figures rose to $10.6 billion.

Although Black Friday sales are not an overall predictor of a successful holiday selling season, it is used as a tool to measure consumers’ willingness to spend during the holidays. In 2007, Black Friday proved to be the largest sales catalyst of the Christmas season. Read: Black Friday Woes: 10 Retailers Who May Not See 2009.

However, experts are cautious saying that the next 27 days will really tell whether there is any true retail sales growth. Just the mere boost of 3% proves that consumers are not being discretionary during this season. Black Friday is the day when all shoppers know that high demand items are available at deeply discounted prices.

"Under these circumstances, to start off the season in this fashion is truly amazing and is a testament to the resiliency of the American consumer, and undeniably proves a willingness to spend," ShopperTrak co-founder Bill Martin said in a statement.

Retail sales in the southern part of the country were up 3.4 percent from 2007 while some Northeastern shoppers combed the aisles as early at midnight to raise sales there 2.6 percent. Many Black Friday shoppers arrived at their favorite stores early, some camping out the day before to make sure they got the best deals.

Department store retailer, J.C. Penney reported strong sales across the country. Smaller electronic gadgets, practical gifts like sweaters, boots, coats and luggage made up for their top selling items on Black Friday. Exact sales figures were not released by the retailer, only this statement in reference to the Black Friday shopping day:

"In light of the challenging and volatile economic climate, and shifts in this year's retail calendar, we don't believe that reporting sales data for any one day (or weekend), including Black Friday, would provide a meaningful barometer of our business," the company said in a statement released Saturday afternoon.