Early Shoppers Gobble Up Turkey Day Deals

Many Americans delayed their preparations for Thanksgiving dinner and got a jump on holiday shopping, snapping up bargains such as $98 19-inch color TVs and $99 DVD players. Only a limited number of stores, such as Kmart and Wal-Mart Super Centers, were open on the holiday. But early birds took advantage of the special deals they offered and avoided the crowds expected today, the official start of the holiday shopping season. Confronted with signs of sluggish consumer spending, retailers nationwide are banking on a combination of intense advertising and product discounts to woo shoppers this season. “Christmas will be decent but not spectacular,” said Kurt Barnard, publisher of Barnard’s Retail Trend Report, based in Upper Montclair, N.J. “You won’t see the binge buying you saw last year.” Barnard and other analysts expect about a 3% to 4% sales increase at stores this holiday shopping season, compared with 7% last year.