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HPU Poll Suggests Black Friday, Thanksgiving Shopping Trends Changing

Image courtesy of High Point University

The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the biggest shopping days of the year. But a new High Point University Poll says a majority of North Carolinians will avoid shopping on Black Friday.

Researchers found that 75 percent of North Carolinians don't plan on shopping Black Friday. An even higher number of respondents, 77 percent, will be staying out of the stores on Thanksgiving Day.

Many respondents also say they're not happy about businesses that require employees to work on the holiday.

HPU political science professor Martin Kifer says even though folks aren't going out, most people say they'll spend the same amount of money on the holidays this year, compared to last year.

“People are split about half and half between those who say they will be doing more shopping in brick and mortar stores and those who say they will be doing more online,” says Kifer. “And this year, we find about a quarter of people say they are actually going to spend more than they did last year.”

Kifer says on average, the poll found $1,088 will be spent on gifts, food, decorations and other holiday items.

The telephone poll consisted of 469 North Carolina adults surveyed from Nov. 10 through Nov. 16. It has a margin of error of 4.5 percent.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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