Not bad, maybe even surprising. But some retailers point out that one day might not be enough to read the pulse on holiday spending. Consider that even though sales were up, profits were down a bit. Remember many retailers, fearing a sales disaster because of the sluggish economy, were offering big discounts to stimulate sales.
Kathy Young of Fairfield refuses to shop on Black Friday. In her opinion, if retailers are offering good deals on the first official day of the holiday shopping season, they're likely to continue right up to Christmas. "I think I would rather hurt myself then go shopping on that day (Black Friday)," she said. "I don't get that mentality. If they're offering deals now, they'll be there throughout. I'm not a storm the doors and trample people kind of gal."
Like many shoppers, Young is committed to cutting back on her holiday shopping. In fact, she said she only wants one present for the holiday-a heart monitor-to wear when she works out.
"I'm absolutely cutting back this year," she said. "For too many years, we went overboard, especially with my kids. I'm not being a Grinch. I'm just not going to do that with the uncertainty lying ahead. I want to get through the holidays without accumulating a lot of unnecessary debt."
Howard Diamond, co-owner of Fairfield Center Jewelers, described the traffic in his store as "spirited" but it didn't translate into big volume sales.
"Shoppers are doing search and research," Diamond said. "Last Saturday, Santa came to town; it was busy - wall-to-wall people. We're hoping sales will be good. We're obviously down from a year ago, but the numbers change every day in December."
Diamond is holding off his judgment for the holiday shopping season. In the jewelry business, the price of silver, gold and platinum has bounced up and down. At the moment, it's coming down, which could directly impact the total sales.
Philip Lane, associate professor of economics at Fairfield University, described the Black Friday turnout as more "grazing" than shopping.
"It was good news that people went out shopping and bought more than last year," Lane said. "However, it's not jump-and-down good news. I expect a relatively quiet holiday shopping season."
Lane foresees more shoppers buying gifts with cash rather than running up big credit card bills. The economics professor and his family plan to cut back on holiday shopping because of the uncertain economy. He jokes that after his 401K has taken a beating and shrunk to a "201K," he's not in the mood to spend as much as the past.
"We're cutting back on shopping this holiday season," Lane said. "It's because of the economy. The biggest issue for the next administration [President elect Obama] is to get us all excited about looking forward."
John Gerlach, associate professor of economics and finance at Sacred Heart University, predicted good shopping deals on merchandise as the holiday season has arrived. In his opinion, retailers are expecting sales to be off and are gearing up with plenty of expected deals on most items ranging from toys to electronics. The catch is you need to be able to afford these deals.
"I expect great deals on all kinds of merchandise this season," Gerlach said. "Prices will be so low; they will be hard to walk away from. If you have the cash, this might be a good time to buy the wide screen TV. All those good things will happen. You need to have the money, though."
Even some corporations are cutting back or eliminating holiday celebrations. David DeRosa, owner of DeRosa's Italian Restaurant in Westport, has booked fewer holiday parties to this point than last year. However, bookings are starting to pick up. He credits the sluggish start to the holiday celebrating season to nervousness about the economy and the lateness of Thanksgiving in November.
"All of sudden the phone is starting to ring," DeRosa said. "We're starting to pick up parties now that Thanksgiving has passed. Now that the holiday has passed and it was so late, people are realizing they have to book their Christmas parties. Many people are doing comparison shopping."
To stimulate business, DeRosa has found it necessary to provide the best offerings within potential customers' budgets. He's noticed a downturn in business since many of his past customers who worked on Wall Street have lost jobs or taken a cut in their incomes.
"I ask customers what their budgets are and work within that," DeRosa said. "I think we're going to be okay for December. We try to suit customers and give them the best bargain. It's a weird economy."