The 2005 Black Friday Watch Wrap-Up
Black Friday - the day, the weekend, the initial rush of holiday fervor - has now given way to the somewhat more staid season of "normal" holiday shopping. The mad bargain hunters who braved the elements at 5am last week are free to sit at home and mock at the rest of us, trudging through crowded malls that overheat as glittering red, green, and gold streamers block the upper air vents.
How did sales pan out? The results are mixed. The National Retail Federation put on a good face, reporting that total sales for the Black Friday weekend hit around 28 billion dollars, an increase of 21.9% over last year's take. The media told a less optimistic story. The Washington Post wrote that only moderate growth occured in November. Department stores faired most poorly, with only a 0.6% increase over last November. Chain stores did marginally better, with an approximate 3.5% jump. Other newspapers carried the same theme: the madness was not mad enough.
Our own reporters told a different story. BlackFridayWatch.com is overflowing with their tales of terror from the biggest shopping districts in America. They're not all terrifying, of course. Chicago provided some beautiful pictures of the tree lighting and fireworks display. The window displays of New York lit up the night. The rain in Seattle did not deter shoppers, although the fistfights that broke out in Atlanta may have temporarily detracted from the holiday spirit.
All in all, this was an exceptionally enjoyable experiment in journalism. We hope to return to the idea next year, with more correspondents and even bigger coverage. There are enough stories here to last a whole year anyway, so treat yourself to a five minute break while you're at work and browse through our archive.
Good-bye for now, and try to remember what the holidays are really for.
