Nearly Three-in-Ten Black Friday Shoppers Plan to Spend $500 or More, Finds CouponCabin.com Black Friday Survey

WHITING, Ind., Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanksgiving week will soon be upon us, and amid the turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, Black Friday shopping plans are also being cooked up. More than one-third (35 percent) of U.S. adults plan to shop in stores or online this Black Friday (November 25). Of those Black Friday shoppers, nearly three-in-ten (28 percent) plan to spend $500 or more, while four-in-ten (40 percent) plan to spend between $200 and $499. Black Friday shopping trips will be old hat for most, as 84 percent report this will not be their first time participating. This survey was conducted online nationwide by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin.com from October 24-26, 2011 among 2,132 adults ages 18 and older.

So, what's all the Black Friday fuss about? The majority said they are most excited about the huge savings potential, among other reasons. When asked why they plan to shop in-store or online this upcoming Black Friday, shoppers(1) said the following:

• Want to get the best deals possible – 82 percent
• I like to start my holiday shopping on this day – 28 percent
• It's a tradition for my family and friends – 27 percent
• I want to see what all the buzz about shopping on this day is about – 20 percent
• I want to get all my shopping done in one day – 13 percent

"Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and with good reason, as many fantastic deals are to be had both in-store and online," said Jackie Warrick, President and Chief Savings Officer at CouponCabin.com. "To take advantage of the savings, shoppers are plotting out their plans of attack ahead of time. More than half we surveyed said they plan to research ahead of time to see if there are better deals in-store or online."

While many U.S. adults will have their coffee ready and shopping list in-hand for an early start on Black Friday, others aren't as jazzed. Of those who don't plan to shop in stores on Black Friday this year, they cited the following reasons for staying at home:

• Too crowded – 62 percent
• I don't want to get up early – 34 percent
• I'd rather shop online – 27 percent
• It's not worth the savings – 24 percent
• I want to spend the time with my family relaxing at home – 23 percent
• It scares me -7 percent

Getting the top deals on Black Friday is a priority for many, as 72 percent said it is very important/important to get the best deal possible on that day. But sometimes that competition can lead to mayhem in the mall. When asked what their most outrageous Black Friday shopping experiences were, a random sampling of U.S. adults said the following:

• When Cabbage Patch kids were popular again, about 30 strangers and I dived into a pile of dolls hoping to find the right birth date of the dolls for our kids.
• I stayed up for more than 24 hours last year just so I could get all the deals I wanted to get on Black Friday.
• A woman grabbed things out of my cart, flipped my cart and tried to take off. She wound up handcuffed to my cart after she was caught.
• Someone grabbed a jacket out of my hand, and then another woman grabbed it out of her hand and they fought over it, tug-of-war style.
• I got a computer for $500, but had to sit on it to save it.
• I witnessed a fight over bras.
• My bank put a fraud block on my debit card because I was shopping at 4 a.m.
• My mom and I got stuck at the top of an escalator during an early morning Black Friday shopping trip.
• I waited in a mile-long line to get into a store.
• The checkout line extended to the back of the store so it took an hour to reach the cash register.
• I got in line at midnight and ended up participating in a tailgate with 30 strangers.

(1) U.S. adults planning to shop in-store or online on Black Friday

Survey Methodology:

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin from October 24-26, 2011 among 2,132 adults aged 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore, no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact: Allison Nawoj, [email protected].  

About CouponCabin.com

CouponCabin is a leading online destination for coupons including online coupon codes, printables, grocery coupons and more. Shoppers have saved nearly $250 million since 2003 and with the largest selection of coupons guaranteed to work, CouponCabin.com is the best place to start searching for savings. The average user saves $19 in just 80 seconds on the site. With customized email newsletters, browser savings alerts, new coupon alerts and more, shoppers will never miss out on a great deal with CouponCabin.com. For more information, please visit http://www.CouponCabin.com.

SOURCE CouponCabin.com