Residents Contributed to Record-Setting Online Holiday Sales Weekend

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Us-online-shoppingResidents choosing to spend their money online during this year's Cyber Monday Dec. 1 helped to make it the heaviest online spending day in history.

"Cyber Monday reached $2.038 billion in desktop online spending, up 17 percent versus year ago, the only day ever to surpass $2 billion in sales," digital measuring company ComScore reported in a news release.

ComScore said the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday saw consumers spend $6.6 billion, up 24 percent from last year.

"The weekend after Thanksgiving also reached a major milestone as it saw its first ever billion-dollar online shopping day on Saturday, while Sunday’s sales just fell short of the $1 billion mark," the news release said. "The two days combined posted particularly strong growth online, raking in $2.012 billion for an increase of 26 percent compared to the same weekend last year.

Increasingly more consumers are forgoing brick and mortar retailers and opting to shop online during the holiday season.

Local consumers cite a number of factors that kept them home, including prices and selection.

"The stores do not have the variety of items or guarantee of size style or color as the online stores, and the savings were extreme online," Vicki Tucker of Nokesville said.

"I can spend more time researching a better deal online," Diandra Copening Munoz of Bristow. "I also shop through Ebates for additional cash back. Simple, I save money by shopping online."

Fewer people hit retail stores over the Thanksgiving weekend and spent less money than last year, according to the National Retail Federation.

"I just hate the chaos. It's like the running of the bulls: the parking lots filled with hostile drivers, the take-no-prisoners approach to shopping, the crowds, and the blatant hypocrisy against what Thanksgiving and Christmas should be---a time to be thankful for what we have, and generous to those who don't have much for which to be thankful," Todd Skiles said.

Residents offer some advice to retailers to entice holiday shoppers.

"Make shopping a pleasant experience by offering superior customer service," Michelle Conroy of Gainesville said.

" not enough educated sales staff. Having products unique to the region would be nice, less plastic made in China would be nice too." Mike Beaty said.

However, some like the convenience and said they will continue to shop from the convenience of their homes.

"There is nothing that businesses with physical locations can do to win my business next year," Rosemary Wittrock of Haymarket said. "IF I need to go to the store in person, it will not be over the crazy commercial circus that has evolved in place of family and giving thanks."

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