A Bit of a Black Friday?

Survey Results for 11/25/2009:

This year, my holiday spending will be:

I got a few emails from folks telling me they'd be braving the crowds for a good deal, but I have yet to hear much about the bargains they snagged. (Send me an email to share your Black Friday story).

As you can see from our poll this week, many folks expect to scale back a bit on holiday purchases this year. These results are consistent with national numbers, as many of the early reports from Black Friday are indicating that more shoppers went out in the wee hours, but spent fewer dollars while they were out.

For what it's worth, we might be moving in the right direction with our Black Friday Index. Last year, 66 percent of folks said they'd spend less, compared to 60 percent this year. (See last year's poll here.)

Even for a Black Friday die hard, I'll admit that my holiday spending looks different this year. Whereas the post-Thanksgiving bargains used to make up a few key "finds" on my list, I was inspired to get most of my shopping done this year while the deals were hot. Supplemented with a bit of online click-and-buy items, my wallet is now closed for the holiday season.

That is, unless I find something great for myself....

Contact Christina Lewellen, senior editor, at clewellen@glass.org.