Holiday Shoppers Appear More Upbeat

Washington, DC, Nov. 29, 2010 -- Improving consumer sentiment appeared to drive more shoppers to the stores at the beginning of the holiday shopping season.

U.S. retail sales during Thanksgiving weekend totaled $45 billion, according to the National Retail Federation, citing a survey conducted by BIGresearch.

The number of customers shopping on Thanksgiving Day has more than doubled over the past five years, the group said.

On Black Friday itself traffic rose 2.2%, ShopperTrak said on Nov. 27.

The increase follows improvements in consumer sentiment. Confidence among U.S. consumers increased more than forecast in November to the highest level in five months, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index.

More shoppers surveyed said they visited department stores this year, and fewer went to discounters as shoppers put more emphasis on service and selection, NRF spokeswoman Ellen Davis said.