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There Are Three Types of Black Friday Shoppers: An Analysis

Image via Shutterstock, copyright Andresr
Image via Shutterstock, copyright Andresr

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There are three kinds of people who leave the comfort of their homes on Thanksgiving night to brave mindblowing lines, insane crowds, and possible injury to sale shop. At least according to WWD. Below, we summarize their Black Friday shopper analysis:

Type 1: The pack shopper
This group is mostly comprised of women from their teenage years up to age 30. They shop in packs. You'll find them in stores like Aéropostale and Zumiez, where WWD reports they will be spending as much, if not more, on themselves as they are on gifts.

Type 2: The Hard-Core Shopper
These are the bargain-hungry moms and dads. Preferred stores include Kohl's, J.C. Penney, Target, and Wal-Mart for the moms, where they hunt down extra discounts on items that were already low to moderately priced. The dads are primarily shopping for electronics and toys for their kids. WWD claims that "Half shop with their wives; half go it alone, or with a friend. In the majority of cases; they hit power centers and big-box stores first, specifically sporting goods and electronics chains."

Type 3: The Family
Who would drag screaming infants to a Best Buy to stand in line for several hours in the middle of the night? According to WWD, it's usually families that are new to America, have several kids and can't afford a babysitter. "They're on a tight budget yet very willing to fork up a large percentage of their disposable dollars on Black Friday, largely for gifts," the trade paper reports. Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy are the stores of choice for this group, and they're very strategic about getting the best deals.

Also per WWD: A full 43% of Black Friday shoppers agree that it's not that much fun. We're guessing the publication didn't survey these two women, who have been camped outside of a California Best Buy since last Wednesday, having what appears to be a great time.
· The Black Friday Shopper, Understood [WWD]
· 87 Massive Black Friday Sales Your Wardrobe Will Love [Racked]
· Meet the Black Friday Diehards Who Have Been Camped Outside Best Buy for 6 Days [Racked]