Teenagers are the midnight Thanksgiving shoppers

Midnight shopping is a fairly popular event for those looking for a bargain. There are plenty of adults who choose this time to shop, however, you will have to search for them among the teens.

When questioned about the number of teens out at this time, the lowest figure was from a Cape Cod Walmart that stated around 30%. The estimations increased for stores which were situated inside shopping malls. One shopper in South Portland said 60% of the shoppers were teens, another said 70% at the Burlington Mall, and a security guard at an Eastern Massachusetts mall provided an estimate of 85%.

A retail analyst with the NPD Group, Marshal Cohen, said the Thanksgiving late-night shopping is too new to have generated effective demographic data. He said it has become a holiday to-do for young people.

Cohen intends assessing this year’s sales data to determine age-based data. At present, he stated, the focus is on teens when one considers the types of products on special offer. He said retailers are learning to put out the right items at the right time, by adding clothing and cosmetics to deep-discount lists, rather than only electronic items.

Cohen said that for teens the focus may not be on shopping as much as it is a perfect time to have a midnight rendezvous with their friends, with permission from their parents.