Holiday weekend sales fall on early discounts, online growth

Early holiday promotions and rising online shopping took a toll on in-store U.S. sales during the Thanksgiving weekend as shoppers on average spent 6.4 percent less than they did a year earlier, according to data released Sunday by an industry group.

The National Retail Federation estimates shoppers spent an average $380.95 at stores during the holiday weekend, compared with $407.02 a year ago.

Total spending is estimated to have fallen 11 percent to $50.9 billion, according to Reuters.

Online sales, meanwhile, are estimated to have risen 32 percent to $766 million on Thanksgiving and 26 percent to $1.2 billion on Black Friday.

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