Retailers Optimistic After Start of Holiday Shopping Season

It was a busy holiday shopping weekend along Bloomfield's main commercial coridoors as big-box retailers did their best to lure people in with early openings and limited specials.

According to a National Retail Federation (NRF) survey conducted by BIGresearch, 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites Thursday through Saturday last week, a record up from last year's 212 million shoppers.

In addition, the NRF reports that the average shopper spent $398.62 during the holiday weekend, up from $365.34 last year. Total spending reached an estimated $52.4 billion.

Locally, despite the onset of mobile apps and other innovations, there were still plenty of reasons for people to show up in stores, even if that meant standing in line.

Small businesses also got into the mix and tried to capitalize on the post-holiday fervor. The Bloomfield Sports Shop opened early on "Black Friday" and offered specials for the first time.

"We offered 20 percent off everything in the store and it did bring us some business," said Marketing Director Jennifer Robbins. "It was a good start. We'll probably continue to do it, but if we learned a lesson it's to advertise early and often."