Black Friday sales decline for the first year ever

Doesn't look like Black Friday escaped the sad face known as the US economy -- the NPD Group just ran the numbers and found that overall sales during the weekend after Thanksgiving went down eight percent from 2007, which is the first decline ever. Of course, maybe we'd have all been tempted to buy more if the bargains weren't all so totally lame -- there was no way we were going out there to face the crazy murderous rush to get $5 off a 1GB flash drive or whatever. That said, sales of laptops went up 19 percent, and 30-inch and larger LCD TVs went up 18 percent, so things weren't entirely gloomy, but NPD says Black Friday might be turning into more of a showcase event rather than a blitzkrieg holiday shopping kickoff, which would be just fine with us -- don't worry, we'll still give away tons of gear. We love you, after all.

[Leo @ Dec 9th 2008 1:55PM]

I don't know about you guys, but I got a pretty kickin' deal on a 32 inch TV, so I can't complain.

[Sea Urchin @ Dec 9th 2008 1:58PM]

I did not buy anything. Well i got a hair cut on that day, barber butchred me.

[Lowest Ranked @ Dec 9th 2008 2:12PM]

Same deals online.

[Flashpoint @ Dec 9th 2008 8:23PM]

I for one have noticed the steady decline in real deals for the past 5 years on Black Friday.

Back in 2003 I worked for Circuit City while finishing up college. I bought 2 APEX 32" TV's for $200 each ($16 tax), Laptops such as an HP 15" were $400 after rebate (spend $699) and DVD's were $4

Year by Year, tube TV's have been replaced by LCD TV's and the deal that I got stopped being offered. LCD TV's were sky high years ago, but their prices really haven't dropped below the $400 mark for a 32" even with Rebates so I suspect that most shoppers who go to Black Friday sales go for computers or peripherals/games for game consoles.

Games on Black Friday were cheap, but they were old games. I think what really helped Black Fridays for the past 4 years were the launch of game consoles... I still remember the PS3 riots of 2006.

With no consoles, an economy in tatters, unemployment near 6.5% and mortgages in limbo, are you really suprised it turned out this way?

I expected the worst and we see it now.

[Fred @ Dec 9th 2008 1:58PM]

Not gonna say who it is but my company had the best Black Friday we've ever had. One location was up 835% over last year.

[GeekPI @ Dec 9th 2008 2:44PM]

You work at a Consumer Credit Counseling place?

[wyatt @ Dec 9th 2008 2:50PM]

nah, it's gotta be WalMart. how about McDonald's?

[Fred @ Dec 9th 2008 3:15PM]

Yeah, 37" plasma McRib for $599. Mid-range fashion and accessory company.

[Nerd Ferguson @ Dec 9th 2008 1:58PM]

I agree, black friday is more of a joke than a legitimate bargain for shoppers. and with all the madness and disorganization, i'm pretty much glad I didn't go and I'll happily pay $50 more for whatever I decide to buy in peace and quiet.

[KarlW @ Dec 9th 2008 2:01PM]

The decline is likely a result of web-based shopping than the downturn in the economy. Online shops can offer higher discounts because of lower operational costs.

The source indicates that these figures apply to "brick and mortar sales". The summary above isn't the full story.

[tom @ Dec 9th 2008 2:17PM]

I just feel bad for the unfortunate wal-mart employee who sacrifice for all you brick & mortar bargain hunters.

My condolescence to his family

[KarlW @ Dec 9th 2008 2:28PM]

Your what?

Walmart can still compete with online shops. Just not at technical products. For things like groceries and health products, brick and mortar stores still dominate. Yes, people will lose their jobs. I'm sure the guys Amazon just hired aren't crying about him, though. In an ideal capitalist society, there will be closures and job losses in companies that can't afford to compete, but they'll be balanced by expansion and job creation in companies that can.

Luckily there is a flexible and generous welfare system that helps people through difficult times. Shame it's not in the US.

[Mike C @ Dec 9th 2008 2:56PM]

I'm going to assume English isn't the original poster's first language. I'm also going to assume you live in a closet.

A Walmart employee was trampled to death at a store opening.

Tom offers his condolences for his death, not the loss of his job.

[KarlW @ Dec 9th 2008 3:33PM]

As it happens, English is my first language (for example, I can point out that "condolescence" should have been "condolences"). I just happen to live in Britain, and didn't catch the news that somebody died during the rush, and thought people got laid off at Walmart (not an unreasonable assumption, it's happening everywhere right now).

Didn't mean to be insensitive, it just wasn't in the news here and I didn't catch Engadget's post about it.

[Mike C @ Dec 9th 2008 4:15PM]

This is why I shouldn't read Engadget while I am at work while suffering from the closet that is the American perspective.

I was referring to the responder about English being a first language.

Also, I am an asshat. My sincerest apologies.

[OneLove @ Dec 10th 2008 2:28AM]

Dont worry his family will get a huge settlement and a nice non discloure agreement from walmart.

[Todd @ Dec 9th 2008 2:02PM]

I think more people were also willing to get better deals online without waiting in line. Last I heard online sales were up 15% for that period. I purchased about 80% of my Christmas gifts online and the deals were good enough this year... online... to get me to increase my spending and purchase things I would not have gotten otherwise. I think if the media would shut their trap and not be such doom-sayers then the economy would not be half as bad is it is. Too many paranoid people waiting by the panic buttons, hanging on every word the media says.

[Platinum_Skeet @ Dec 9th 2008 2:07PM]

Black Fridays lost it's sparkle I guess. There's probably only 2 or 3 deals and if you count the time that you stay overnight you might as well work overtime and but it regular price...

[Platinum_Skeet @ Dec 9th 2008 2:09PM]

*Buy it regular price... *

[Major4Play @ Dec 9th 2008 2:14PM]

Is this a shock ?

The U.S.-based National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) defines economic recession as: "a significant decline in [the] economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP growth, real personal income, employment (non-farm payrolls), industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales."

[Erv @ Dec 9th 2008 2:17PM]

I didn't see anything worth getting up early for

[TVGenius @ Dec 9th 2008 2:20PM]

Yeah, there were a couple smoking deals, and a few good ones, but my total Black Friday purchases consisted of one movie on Blu-Ray at Wal-Mart, which I could barely get to past the pallets of HDTVs that weren't selling.

Overall, this year wasn't that great, there just wasn't that many great deals. I know the lines at most of our stores were about 2/3 the length at opening compared to last year, at when I hit the Wally World Supercenter at 10am it looked like a normal day (considering the ones here are always a zoo).

[Esat Dedezade @ Dec 9th 2008 2:28PM]

Play.com were selling Shure SE110 headphones (RRP £70, £50 on Amazon) for just £17.99 yesterday.

Suffice to say I bought 5 :)

Hope that eagerness doesn't come back and bite me in the ass when they're up on ebay....

[Crayola @ Dec 9th 2008 2:31PM]

dealextreme.com has earbuds for $4.00. £17.99 are you nuts?

[booticon @ Dec 9th 2008 2:36PM]

@Crayola

*sigh*

[h_2_o @ Dec 9th 2008 2:33PM]

also people have to think of it this way as well. how many ipods can you get your kid before they are just tired of them. my nephew has 4 that he has gotten the last few years and he is sick and tired of mp3 players and gadgets in general. he wants certain toys, the problem as he puts it "wow all these toys suck" no real fun entertaining gadgets have come out in the past year to make people really want to go buy them. no joke on his christmas list this year is silly putty.

[krazy_calvin @ Dec 10th 2008 8:15AM]

Maybe the poor sales have something to do with the fact it takes 2 hours per store to check out... You have to stake out one store with one deal and hope you get it... they need to work to be more efficient at the checkout.

[DudeManDude @ Dec 9th 2008 2:43PM]

awww.. I love you too Engadget!

[TRAFFICBLOWS @ Dec 9th 2008 2:47PM]

Maybe if more than half the deals didn't suck ass this year!!!!!

And whatever- I was a big spender! $1.99 6' HDMI cable from Newegg FTW

[Loban @ Dec 9th 2008 3:37PM]

Wow, you overpaid. Got my 6' HDMI for 75 cents on Amazon 2 years ago. Still works just fine. I just want to slap people who pay $80 for a 6' Monster cable.

[Frogboy @ Dec 9th 2008 2:47PM]

Wow, that's probably the most racist (or at the very least insensitive) thing I've ever read here on Engadget!

[tom @ Dec 9th 2008 3:02PM]

It seems to me that online retailers began discounting so early this year that Black Friday was less of an event than in years past. Also, the low prices online seem to have persisted beyond Black Friday weekend. Last week, I picked up a Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U 42 Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV for $865.00 with free shipping from Amazon thanks to a deal I found on TechDealDigger.com. http://www.techdealdigger.com/deals/panasonic-viera-th-42pz85u-865-at-amazon/5392

I think as the holiday season progresses, you'll continue to see retailers who overstocked a particular item and will be running deep discounts to unload them. If you're in the market, definitely stay tuned to the deal sites (TechDealDigger, SlickDeals, etc.)

[Matt Smith @ Dec 9th 2008 3:03PM]

I got some decent deals, but this article hit the nail on the head... I would of bought a lot more had their been better deals... the deals this year were nothing compared to years past... where was my 720p 37 in LCD for under $500? I just didn't see good deals on large ticket items...

[Mark Scalise @ Dec 9th 2008 3:13PM]

Who cares about shopping anyway. This is really about the cool Black Sabbath tribute graphic. :)

[Loban @ Dec 9th 2008 3:32PM]

In-store deals (especially on electronics) are always lame compared to online deals anyway. An electronic gadget or TV or whatever on "sale" in a store is usually more than a regularly priced item on newegg or Amazon. I saw a Walmart ad yesterday for a VIZIO 42" 720 Plasma for like $800 or something. You can get a Panasonic VIERA (the best TV you can buy right below a KURO) 42" 720 Plasma for $650 on Amazon right now and with no shipping or tax. I feel sorry for people who think they're getting a bargain by shopping at Best Buy or any other B&M store.

[Brad @ Dec 9th 2008 3:45PM]

"You can get a Panasonic VIERA (the best TV you can buy right below a KURO) 42" 720 Plasma for $650"

The best TV next to the nearly $3k KURO is a crappy $650 Panny? You my friend are an idiot. Please step away from the keyboard.

Too many dumb hayseeds on this site lately.

[Loban @ Dec 9th 2008 3:50PM]

Jeez, don't get your panties in a bunch. I knew the placement of my parenthesis would get me in trouble. I meant the VIERA line as a whole are the best TVs you can buy below the KURO line. I didn't mean that particular 42" VIERA can even hope to compete with a KURO. Do some research. In this year's home theater magazine HDTV face-off, #1 is a KURO, #2 is a VIERA. Man, lay off the coffee.

[Diego @ Dec 9th 2008 3:42PM]

oh engadget :) we love yous toos

[sodapop @ Dec 9th 2008 4:16PM]

lol while novembers sales for the entire month are up over 2007. The answer is Black Friday is happening before and after Black Friday.

[xB Owner @ Dec 9th 2008 4:33PM]

My personal opinion is that B&M stores as a whole gambled and lost. They thought they could reduce prices just enough so that in combination with Black Friday hype they could once again make a killing. They failed. Horribly. I did not see a single item worth rolling out of bed before noon for. Until B&M stores figure out that today's more tech savvy consumer is willing to "risk" buying online to save a few bucks their sales percentages will continue to decline.

Also, to be fair I did make one purchase on Black Friday. I had someone else pick up and 8 GB SanDisk Cruzer for me for $13 as opposed to the regular $45 at Staples. A good deal. But still not enough to make me go out into the madhouse that was Black Friday.

[Christian @ Dec 9th 2008 4:35PM]

I blame fry's electronics for holding out on good sales. a pathetic 2 page ad instead of the usual 8 page of entertainment....

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Dec 9th 2008 5:10PM]

I'm stunned that people actually bother going to stores the weekend after thanksgiving.

The rest of the christmas shopping season is crazy enough. Why you'd subject yourself to the biggest crowds of the year is beyond my grasp. But then, my gift-buying is limited to adults; I don't have rugrats running around and begging me to buy them all the latest toys. It's just me begging myself for the latest toys.

[jon @ Dec 9th 2008 5:19PM]

I love the modified Ratatat album artwork for the picture

[Coby W. Jones @ Dec 9th 2008 6:33PM]

I don't see this as a suprise, there wasn't anything really worth getting out for this year. I went to Best Buy at Noon and all but two of their doorbusters were still there. Save 50-100 bucks on a TV? Just wait till you get a 10-12% off coupon in the mail and then use the rewards card and you get that much off anyway.

[thedesolate1 @ Dec 9th 2008 7:29PM]

My theory is that the electronics market might be saturated to the point where people don't deem it necessary to buy more expensive electronics. Also the deals sucked this year.

[A.R. @ Dec 10th 2008 1:38AM]

Take that. This news is karma for the entire retail industry for the Wal-mart employee who got trampled to death.

[drewdoog @ Dec 10th 2008 1:46AM]

For those of you that are slickdealers, you know very well that black friday really means nothing anymore. Its just another day in the week.

[graphikzking @ Dec 10th 2008 12:49PM]

why give away our secrets?? shhhhhhhshshh

I did purchase 2 items on blackfriday though.. both on BBY online!

4gb Sansa Clip - $34.99 - 5% discover cashback.
8gb Sansa Fuze - $69.99 - 5% discover cashback.

With live cashback on ebay a few days later they were the same price.. so if BBY didn't have them online,.. I would have just waited a few days and bought it the same or cheaper.

All the other "doorbusters" I could have bought online even cheaper than brick and mortar stores..