Thanksgiving Day Store Traffic Up 27 Percent as Retailers Cut into Holiday

Retailers’ decision to move up many holiday sales to Thanksgiving Day resulted in a 27.3% jump in store traffic over last year’s Thanksgiving Day numbers, reports retail analytics firm ShopperTrak. 

“It’s ruining the spirit of Thanksgiving,” 20-year-old Cathyliz Lopez of New York told the Associated Press. “But I was checking all the ads, and the best deals weretoday.” 

The controversial move, which drew criticism for cutting into time with family and friends, also appears to have sapped Black Friday with a 5.6% decline in shopper visits over last year.

Online sales this year jumped considerably as the nation continues its migration from brick and mortar purchasing to Internet buying. Year-over-year, online sales skyrocketed 32% on Thanksgiving Day, and Black Friday online purchases increased 26%.

Prosper Insights & Analytics says the number of people who shopped online or in stores over the four-day weekend decreased this year from last by 5.2%. The trade group says total weekend spending fell 11% from last year.