The figures are now in for Black Friday, and it looks like this shopping season is off to a strong if not blazing start. Total spending for the four days starting on Thanksgiving - which we might want to start calling the Black Long Weekend - totaled $59.1 billion, which is up 13 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.
On the other hand, the increase was more modest in a report that came out at the end of last week, looking at sales at 16 of the nation's biggest retail stores. Among large chains like Macy's, Nordstrom and Target, same-store sales were up by a mere 1.6 percent in November, as opposed to November of 2011.
One point in favor of this year's holiday shopping season: It will be unusually long. Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, which this year was as early as it could possibly be, on November 22. That gives shoppers 32 shopping days before Christmas, the maximum number possible. Let's hope they make good use of them.
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