By Associated Press, WBFO News Staff
Buffalo, NY – Bargain shoppers, facing frigid temperatures, woke up before dawn and headed to Western New York malls and stores Friday, the official start of the holiday shopping season, hoping to snap up early bird specials on items from toys to digital music players.
In an improving but still challenging economy, merchants are hoping for big crowds to set a positive tone for the entire holiday season.
Some retailers in the Buffalo area opened as early as 5am. Despite bitter cold wind chills, customers began lining up an hour before. Many were offering deep discounts that were being offered for a limited time Friday morning.
Retailers' spirits have improved in recent weeks amid falling gasoline prices. In fact, earlier this week the Washington-based National Retail Federation upgraded its holiday growth forecast to 6 percent from the 5 percent it had announced back in September.
Still, many shoppers are cautious. While gasoline prices have fallen, they are still high, and this winter shoppers will face higher heating bills.
Retailers are hoping that consumers won't delay their holiday shopping until the last minute, but most analysts believe consumers will procrastinate again this year.
While the day after Thanksgiving officially starts the holiday shopping season, it is no longer the busiest shopping day. Last year, it was Saturday, December 18, a week before Christmas.
Last year, the Thanksgiving weekend rush accounted for only 9.2 percent of holiday sales. The busiest week was from December 12 through December 18, which garnered 22.5 percent of holiday sales, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.