The Black Friday- A Look

Amazon Black Friday records push Jeff Bezos’s fortune past $100 billion

E-commerce giant set to capture 45% to 50% of Black Friday online sales, analyst says

Amid frenzied Black Friday consumer buying, in no small part fueled by digital deals, investors pushed Amazon.com Inc. shares to more records and helped Chief Executive Jeff Bezos reportedly become the first person worth $100 billion since the dot-com boom.

Amazon AMZN, +2.58%  stock rose 2.6% to $1,186 Friday, closing at a record highfor the third consecutive trading session and 10th time since its third-quarter earnings report last month. The stock is up 58% this year, as the S&P 500 indexSPX, +0.21%  has gained 16%.

Friday’s gains pushed Bezos’ stake in Amazon to a value of about $93 billion, according to FactSet. Adding his Amazon holdings to other investments, Bezos is now worth more than $100 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and Bloomberg reported it was the first time anyone had passed that mark since Microsoft Corp. MSFT, +0.18%  co-founder Bill Gates in 1999. Bezos also owns a stake in rocket company Blue Origin, and bought The Washington Post for $250 million.

Don’t miss: All the companies in Jeff Bezos’s empire, in one (large) chart

Bezos has given away more than $100 million, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Black Friday appeared to be another massive haul for the e-commerce giant. Daniel Ives, head of technology research at BGH Insights, estimated in a note that Amazon was capturing 45% to 50% of the shopping holiday’s online business. He projects that Black Friday sales are on a trajectory to increase about 18% compared with last year, which is on par with e-commerce increases tracked by Adobe Analytics early in the holiday shopping season.

See also: Amazon stock surges to another record to pace Black Friday retail sector gains

One of the reasons Amazon continues to harvest an outsize portion of U.S. e-commerce spending is its Prime loyalty program, which offers free two-day shipping among a growing list of perks. Ives wrote in a note to clients Friday that his team forecasts a 20% to 25% increase in Prime member spending compared with last year’s holiday season

Ives rates Amazon a buy with a price target of $1,270.

Of the 47 analysts who cover Amazon, 43 have a buy or overweight rating, according to FactSet, with an average price target of $1,252.95. Amazon has missed Wall Street revenue expectations for the December quarter, which includes the holiday shopping season, every year since 2013.

Max A. Cherney is a MarketWatch technology reporter based in San Francisco. Follow him on Twitter @chernandburn

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/amazon-black-friday-records-push-jeff-bezoss-fortune-past-100-billion-2017-11-24?link=MW_popular

Black Friday cheat sheet: 5 things to look for as you shop

 this year’s Black Friday deals are giving you déjà vu, you’re not alone.

Retailers, it turns out, tend to repeat the same promotions every year: Macy’s has been selling $39.99 cashmere sweaters for five years running, while Best Buy has marked down the same 6-foot HDMI cable to $9.99 each Black Friday since 2013. At Kohl’s, go-tos include $9.99 sweaters (every year since 2012) and $199 KitchenAid mixers (since 2013).

“It’s simple: Retailers are under a lot of pressure and don’t want to upend a formula they know is working,” said Rebecca Lehmann, who tracks repeat discounts for the site Brad’s Deals. “It doesn’t hurt that many of these are giftable items.”

Take, for instance, Target’s $18 Razor scooters, or Macy’s $7.99 toasters and panini makers. They’ve been offered at the same price for years - “inflation has yet to catch up,” Lehmann says - because customers have grown accustomed to expecting them.

So what else are you likely to see - other than $5 board games at Toys R Us and $169 recliners at Walmart - when you start shopping this holiday weekend? Here’s a checklist to guide you.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-black-friday-cheat-sheet-shopping-trends-20171124-story,amp.html

Black Friday workers share 14 of the most outrageous things they've seen on the job

If you ask the people who work in retail, Black Friday is rarely described in the most flattering of ways.

"Black Friday is like hunger games," one retail worker told Business Insider. "The tributes are released, and everyone thinks they are extra special, so they should be allowed to just open pallets and take whatever they want well before the sale."

"Being retired now, Black Friday is a nightmare of the past," a former retail worker told Business Insider. "In my many years in retail, each one seemed to get worse."

This isn't to say all Black Friday shoppers are horrible people. As one retail worker told Business Insider, "For the most part, people have always been very nice and patient. They can see it's busy and I'm doing my best to get everybody taken care of." They said it's usually the customers who are never satisfied - "we can spot them a mile away" - that are more likely to make a scene.

In honor of the "wild and hectic" day when everyone is "tired and cranky" - their words - Business Insider asked more than 40 Black Friday workers to share some of the most outrageous things they've seen working Black Friday.

Be warned: while these accounts cannot be independently verified, some of them may shatter your faith in humanity.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/news/black-friday-workers-share-14-of-the-most-outrageous-things-theyve-seen-on-the-job/ss-BBFCfOC?li=BBx1bGE

Black Friday turnout the ‘best of the last few years’

It was flashback Black Friday.

Deep discounts, giveaways and the old-fashioned fun of filling shopping carts with shiny new goodies lured Big Apple bargain hunters away from the warm glow of their computer screens and into malls across the city for the traditional post-Thanksgiving carnival of consumerism.

SEE ALSO

Black Friday fever grips the planet

Those among the shopping throngs said the thrill of hitting the stores in person couldn’t be beat — and neither could the prices.

“I like to come out and see the stuff that I buy. I want to touch it, to feel it,” said Alex DeJesus, 37, a superintendent from Jackson Heights who was on a spree at the Queens Mall Target — spending $200 and saving $200 on a haul that included a slow cooker, a virtual-reality headset, Christmas decorations and dog food.

“My bill was cut in half. You can’t beat it!”

Amazon.com has taken a big bite out of the shopping holiday’s crowds in recent years, but Black Friday’s brick-and-mortar turnout was up this year thanks to rising incomes, experts said.

“This is the best Black Friday in three or four years,” said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners retail research firm. “It’s not quite as robust as the ones of the mid-2000s, but the best of the last few years.”

TVs were the big-ticket items at many malls, with lines snaking out the door at Best Buy stores well into the afternoon, even though the electronics chain had been open since Thursday night.

When it comes to bringing home a TV, you just can’t leave it to the mailman, said one buyer.

“I always get my electronics in person, so I know I’m walking into my house with it in perfect condition,” Zach Cascella, 28, of New Jersey, said as he hauled a 55-inch Samsung 4K TV out of the Garden State Plaza Best Buy.

“I actually think I spent a couple bucks more in-store than ­online.”

Samsung 4Ks were also flying off the shelves at the Target.

https://nypost.com/2017/11/24/black-friday-turnout-the-best-of-the-last-few-years/amp/

Black Friday loses some in-store shine as consumers shop online

ack Friday has long brought to mind images of shoppers busting through doors at the crack of dawn, elbowing their way to the latest toy or deeply discounted TV.

A new image, however, may be more fitting: Consumers lounging at home in their pajamas, coffee and credit card in hand, as they shop from smartphones and tablets.

Bricks-and-mortar stores across the Chicago area still drew many consumers Friday — shoppers who sought to continue family traditions, see items in person before buying or just enjoy some activity on what otherwise might be a sleepy day off from work. But online sales also continued to grow, especially on mobile devices.

About 60 percent of Chicagoans who took part in a recent Deloitte survey said they planned to use smartphones to make purchases this holiday season, compared with 37 percent last year. And for the first time, Chicago shoppers expect to spend more money shopping online this holiday season than in-store, according to Deloitte.

The shrinking significance of the post-Thanksgiving shopping ritual was evident early Friday morning outside the Best Buy store at Harlem Irving Plaza in Norridge. Several dozen shoppers were lined up, but when the store's doors opened at 8 a.m., there was none of the mayhem of previous years. Customers filed in one or two at a time, most in silence after a few halfhearted "yeahs" and claps as the line began to move.

Larry Adcox, first in line, arrived four hours early after trying and failing to score a deal on a television for his daughter at the same Best Buy the night before. "Today's not bad at all," said Adcox, 55, a vending machine installer who lives on Chicago's North Side.....

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-black-friday-shopping-1125-story,amp.html

Black Friday 2017 Best Apple Watch, Fitbit, Wearables Deals: Walmart, Target, Best Buy - Now Updated

By:David Phelan , CONTRIBUTOR

The latest Black Friday offers and reductions for wearables from Apple, Fitbit, Samsung and other companies are here, updated now to reflect some changes in stock, the expectations of offers from Apple and more. With Black Friday well underway, it's important to know what's having and what's not. Read on...

Black Friday is upon us and going strong. Wearables are among the many good deals out there and here I’ve put together Black Friday 2017 wearable gadgets offers available from Best Buy, Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods and more.

For the instore and online offers at Apple, there are no price reductions as such, but decent-value gift cards are offered with select products. The event runs until 11.59PM PST tonight and you can read about every single detail here.

Apple Watch

Offers on Apple Watch are among the most keenly awaited. No surprise, since it’s the best-selling smartwatch. Apple usually has limited Black Friday deals, such as gift cards when you buy selected items at full price. Check back here for more details on Black Friday itself when I'll have a comprehensive list of what's on offer. Meantime, you need to look elsewhere.

It’s tough to find a discount on the very latest model of Apple Watch, called Series 3. No surprise as it’s selling very well already. The best deal comes from Kohl’s which is offering Kohl’s Cash on lots of products, including Apple Watch. Roughly speaking, for every $50 you spend between now and 11.59PM (CST) November 25, you’ll get $15 Kohl’s Cash, which must be spent between November 26 and December 6

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidphelan/2017/11/22/black-friday-2017-best-apple-watch-fitbit-and-other-wearables-deals-prices-samsung-bargains/#6d84e81e240c

How to Avoid Getting Punched in the Face on Black Friday

Black Friday shopping doesn't result in as many black eyes as it used to, but that doesn't mean chasing after its deals isn't dangerous.

According to the site Black Friday Death Count, three people were killed and seven people were injured during last year's Black Friday shopping alone. Shootings in New Jersey, Nevada and Texas brought the 2016 Black Friday death toll level with that of the previous-worst Black Friday in 2008, when a Walmart worker was trampled to death in Long Island and a fight between shoppers in California led to two men shooting each other to death.

Yet the seven injured during last year's Black Friday shopping was far fewer than the 46 people hurt on Black Friday in 2011. That doesn't security measures and shoppers themselves improving. Instead, it may mean that fewer people are heading out to stores on Black Friday -- leaving doorbuster sales to more hardened and desperate consumers.

The folks at analytics site Reviews.org, realizing the gravity of the situation, compared states' crime data from the Federal Bureau of Investigations with Google search interest in Black Friday to determine the riskiest states for Black Friday violence. Shoppers in Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana and Nevada have the most reason to be nervous, while the Midwest, Pacific Northwest and New England seem like fairly safe bets.

However, they also note that 57.1% of Black Friday incidents within the last decade have taken place at Walmart  (WMT) stores, with malls coming in a distant second at 17.9%. If you are involved in Black Friday violence, however, it's likely going to be ugly. Roughly 30% of all Black Friday incidents involve trampling, while another 26.7% involve shootings. Throw in the 16.7% of incidents that involve car crashes, and you'll be rooting for pepper spray or a simple fistfight (6.7% each).

Luke Hopkins, assistant chair of the Department of Marketing at Florida State University's College of Business and co-director of FSU's Center for Retail Innovation, notes that violence and even predictions of sluggish brick-and-mortar sales this year don't tend to deter the most determined shoppers. Hopkins notes that they see "doorbuster" deals as a finite opportunity, despite the growth of Thanksgiving day, Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday and other retail holidays.

"The concept of scarcity is frequently used to explain why customers are willing to endure bad weather, long lines and mobs of deal seekers," he says. "Combine scarcity with the tradition of Black Friday shopping, as well as the heightened energy of the holiday season, and you begin to see why our usual rational buying behavior can quickly shift to a more primal, 'must-have' mentality."

The National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates that 164 million people will shop onThanksgiving weekend. However, of that group, just 115 million will shop on Black Friday. By the National Retail Federation's own estimates, that's fewer than the 122 million people who shopped online on Cyber Monday last year. Though the NRF didn't say how many people chose to shop in stores or online this year, just 40% said they planned to shop in stores on Thanksgiving weekend in 2016, compared to 44% who planned to shop online. That would leave 46 million people shopping in stores on Black Friday.

"While the utility of the weekend will continue to draw shoppers into stores and online to efficiently and inexpensively check off their lists, we're also seeing consumers report tradition and the opportunity to partake in holiday cheer as reasons for shopping, too," says analyst Pam Goodfellow of Prosper Principal, which conducted the NRF's survey. "By now, people know what sort of deals they can expect to see during the weekend and are budgeting for them accordingly, and in many cases expertly."

On Black Friday, planning accordingly can mean planning your way around crowds. If the percentage of in-store shoppers holds from 2016, it would mean there are overall fewer people shopping in stores than there were just three years ago. Foot traffic at brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday dropped 12% in 2015 from a year earlier. Last year, the number of in-store shoppers was flat.

It's hard to blame people for staying safely behind their laptop screens and smartphones on Black Friday. Back in 2009, Marine Cpl. Phillip Duggan was stabbed in the back at a Best Buy store in Augusta, Ga., by a suspected shoplifter. A 64-year-old man in Queens was killed for a Black Friday television in 2009, dozens of people were pepper sprayed by overzealous Black Friday shoppers in Los Angeles and Kinston, N.C., in 2011. When a guy in Vancouver whipping people with a belt over sneakers during an Adidas Black Friday event last year is considered a lighthearted entry in the holiday-shopping crime blotter, it's rough out there.

But it doesn't have to be. As the NRF discovered, 10% of shoppers have their holiday shopping completely finished by Black Friday weekend as retailers including Toys R Us, Marshalls (TJX) , Target (TGT) , Amazon (AMZN) and others accept holiday returns of many items purchased in October or even as early as September. Another 17% don't make a dent in their lists until December.

As, a result, according to accounting firm Deloitte, even more shoppers may be avoiding Black Friday weekend altogether this year. Of those who replied to its 2017 holiday survey, 20% say they'll finish holiday shopping before Thanksgiving, while one in five shoppers will spend 23% of their holiday budget after Dec. 25. Roughly 51% of that group says they'll still be buying gifts for the current holiday season.

A whopping 53% say they don't rely on Black Friday as much as they used to, and it may be due to how we shop now. Roughly 51% of all shoppers surveyed by Deloitte say they'll be shopping online via laptop, tablet or mobile device. That outpaces the 42% who'll be shopping in-store, but is slightly less than the 59% who tell the NRF that they'll be shopping online -- making it the preferred destination over department stores (57%) and discount stores (54%).

Roughly 50% prefer shopping online to going to physical stores, compared to 36% who feel the opposite. In fact, when online shoppers do go to stores, 43% do so only because they've ordered online and are picking something up. Some 62% will do so to avoid shipping charges, while 48% do so to get their products faster. For many Black Friday sale items, that's an option that keeps shoppers out of stores in the hectic morning hours and allows them to arrive and leave quickly after things have calmed down a bit.

Black Friday and its brawls, beatings and otherwise criminal behavior may not be the only forces driving Thanksgiving weekend shoppers online, but the idea that consumers may have to die for their deals certainly doesn't help steer people into stores.

https://www.thestreet.com/amp/story/14399311/1/how-to-avoid-a-fight-on-black-friday.html