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Top 10 Best Days To Shop This Holiday Season

DETROIT (WWJ) - When it comes to holiday shopping this year, good things will come to those who wait — as long as they don't wait too long. That's because the days with the fewest shoppers and deepest discounts will occur after the Thanksgiving holiday and its famous "Black Friday."

According to ShopperTrak, a provider of retail and mall foot-traffic counting services, 10 days this holiday season will have decreased foot-traffic and, as a result, better customer experiences.

Weekdays after major Holidays

According to ShopperTrak, the weekdays following Black Friday and Black Saturday (Nov. 29 – Dec. 1) are the season's best days to hit stores. Black Friday (Nov. 25) is historically the holiday season's top performing sales and foot-traffic day.

More than 200 million shoppers crowded stores last year, spending $10.69 billion. On the following day, Black Saturday, $6.06 billion found its way to retailers' cash registers to close out the door-buster weekend.

This year, however, the weekdays following Black Friday and Black Saturday, will have fewer crowds than any other time during the holiday season as many tired shoppers shy away from stores.

That means fewer crowds and good deals for shoppers who wait it out. Many Black Friday sales will still be in effect after the weekend, and retailers, eager to unload remaining merchandise, may further reduce prices to entice the fewer numbers of shoppers to take it home.

Shop in early December

As last minute-shoppers scramble to pick up gifts, the weeks leading up to Christmas mean longer lines, crowded parking lots and more headaches. Weekdays in early December, however, will be some of the best days to beat the crowds, according to ShopperTrak.

While every store's foot-traffic patterns differ, weekday business hours, even during the holidays, are typically less trafficked. Most shoppers venture out just after Thanksgiving or in the days leading up to Christmas, making the time in between a shopper's haven. Stores will have smaller crowds and more sales as they work to get customers in the door during off-peak holiday shopping periods.

ShopperTrak's forecasted best days to shop, ranked from least busy to busiest:

  1. Tuesday Nov. 29
  2. Monday Nov. 28
  3. Wednesday Nov. 30
  4. Thursday Dec. 1
  5. Tuesday Dec. 6
  6. Monday Dec. 5
  7. Wednesday Dec. 7
  8. Thursday Dec. 8
  9. Monday Dec. 12
  10. Tuesday Dec.13
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