COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In just more than two weeks, millions of Americans will be lining up outside department stores to get the deal on Black Friday, or will they? The answer is, yes, of course they will. But according to the National Retail Federation, holiday spending will be down by 3% from last year.
The statistic doesn't surprise a number of central Ohio consumers NBC 4 spoke to on Wednesday night. An overwhelming majority say the holiday shopping spirit is flat.
"No one's in the mood. It's just, no one's in the mood to do it. They're cautious, they're worried about their future, there's not a lot of jobs out there, so we're just a little nervous," said one shopper.
For John and Catherine Black, they are just going to buy small and buy now for their son, Michael. "There's too many people hurting, too many people out of a job, too many people broke," they shared.
Consumers still say they're going to spend this holiday season, but will be a lot more conservative when they do.
As far as Black Friday deals and safety, stores plan on making changes this year to keep shoppers safe.
Last year a worker at a WalMart was trampled to death. This year WalMart plans to open at 6:00am on Thanksgiving day and stay open through Friday night.
Other store chains plan to add workers to guide eager customers when the stores open. Additionally, the National Retail Federation has published a set of guidelines to help with crowd control.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail stories@nbc4i.com.
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