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| Thanksgiving spending hits $41bn | Thanksgiving spending hits $41bn |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| The weekend following Thanksgiving is probably the most important of the whole US retailing year. | The weekend following Thanksgiving is probably the most important of the whole US retailing year. |
| The amount of money shelled out at the shops this weekend hit $41.2bn (£25bn) - a rise of 0.5% on 2008. | The amount of money shelled out at the shops this weekend hit $41.2bn (£25bn) - a rise of 0.5% on 2008. |
| Even so, credit-crunched Americans spent around 8% less each than normal, an average of $343, in the days following last Thursday's holiday. | Even so, credit-crunched Americans spent around 8% less each than normal, an average of $343, in the days following last Thursday's holiday. |
| The total was higher because more of them - 195 million - shopped either online or by going out to stores. | The total was higher because more of them - 195 million - shopped either online or by going out to stores. |
| The figures come from the largest retail trade organisation in the world, the National Retailers Association, a body that illustrates why we call the United States a consumer society. | The figures come from the largest retail trade organisation in the world, the National Retailers Association, a body that illustrates why we call the United States a consumer society. |
| Its members employ 24 million people - around one in five US workers. | Its members employ 24 million people - around one in five US workers. |
| Shoppers at dawn | Shoppers at dawn |
| Thanksgiving was originally a Christian festival to thank God for the survival of America's early European settlers. It became a secular holiday in the 1940s. | |
| There is no mistaking the big event these days. The National Retail Federation reported that a third of those who made a trip to the shops were there before 5am. | There is no mistaking the big event these days. The National Retail Federation reported that a third of those who made a trip to the shops were there before 5am. |
| Those who stayed at home also did their bit for the consumer sector that makes up 70% of the US economy. | Those who stayed at home also did their bit for the consumer sector that makes up 70% of the US economy. |
| Ultimately, what we wanted to see was flat or better sales and that's what we got. You've got to remember the discounts were far fewer and less Marc Pado | Ultimately, what we wanted to see was flat or better sales and that's what we got. You've got to remember the discounts were far fewer and less Marc Pado |
| Cantor Fitzgerald | Cantor Fitzgerald |
| The Analytics firm Comscore said on Sunday that US online spending on Black Friday hit a record $595m, a rise of 11% compared with a year earlier. | The Analytics firm Comscore said on Sunday that US online spending on Black Friday hit a record $595m, a rise of 11% compared with a year earlier. |
| Shares in the giant online retailer Amazon hit an all time high in Monday trading. | Shares in the giant online retailer Amazon hit an all time high in Monday trading. |
| Discounting is always a big part of the holiday season, but analysts said retailers had done a good job of keeping stock levels in line, so they had not been forced into desperate price cuts like in 2008. That should help margins improve, at least compared with a year ago, they suggested. | Discounting is always a big part of the holiday season, but analysts said retailers had done a good job of keeping stock levels in line, so they had not been forced into desperate price cuts like in 2008. That should help margins improve, at least compared with a year ago, they suggested. |
| "Ultimately, what we wanted to see was flat or better sales and that's what we got. You've got to remember the discounts were far fewer and less," said Marc Pado, a US market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald in San Francisco. | "Ultimately, what we wanted to see was flat or better sales and that's what we got. You've got to remember the discounts were far fewer and less," said Marc Pado, a US market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald in San Francisco. |
| Economists and analysts are watching the holiday shopping season to see how much consumers have been affected by recession, high unemployment and the credit crunch. | Economists and analysts are watching the holiday shopping season to see how much consumers have been affected by recession, high unemployment and the credit crunch. |
| Investors will now look for a clearer picture of the month when retailers release November sales later this week. | Investors will now look for a clearer picture of the month when retailers release November sales later this week. |