US shoppers spent 6.4 per cent more this Thanksgiving weekend than last year and hit department stores and clothing shops, rather than focusing on discount outlets as they had done in recent years.
Analysts said that after two years of flocking to Wal-Mart and even dollar stores in order to save money during the economic crisis, more confident consumers may have been ready for a change.
"Shopping is an entertainment, as well as an outing and going to the same-old same-old gets stale," said Kin Caughey Forrest, a senior equity analyst with Fort Pitt Capital Group.
Also, while not looking solely for the lowest price, shoppers still spent cautiously, focusing on deals and shunning stores that did not have compelling discounts.
"At Wal-Mart, people were literally buying the sale items and avoiding other parts of the store," said Patty Edwards, chief investment officer at Trutina Financial.
Total retail traffic will have risen 8.7 per cent to 212 million shoppers between Thanksgiving Day and Sunday, compared with the same period in 2009, according to the survey from the National Retail Federation.
Shoppers will have spent $45 billion online and in stores over the four days, according to the survey, which includes estimated spending for Sunday. That compares with $41.2 billion in 2009.
Spending per person rose to $365.34 from $343.31 a year earlier, NRF said.
The NRF survey, conducted by BIGresearch, showed that 52 per cent of shoppers surveyed said they planned to go to department stores, up from 49.4 per cent a year earlier.
Clothing stores also gained, at 24.4 per cent versus 22.9 per cent a year earlier.
But discounters fell, with 40.3 per cent saying they shopped at those stores, compared with 43.2 percent last year.
- Reuters