Business Headlines: Black Friday A Big Success; Cyber Monday Deals
BOSTON (CBS) - Black Friday sales are already a huge success.
Sales were up seven percent over last year, according to ShopperTrak, which said buyers spent more than $11 billion on Friday alone.
That's the most ever for Black Friday, the biggest year-to-year increase since 2007.
But cash could be a competitor for retailers.
A Western Union survey found that 83-percent of consumers would rather receive $50 in cash than a $50 gift.
CYBER MONDAY
And today is Cyber Monday and plenty of online retailers are offering big discounts today.
Best Buy is offering a $10 gift card with a $100 purchase.
Kmart is offering free shipping on qualifying purchases more than $49.
At Macy's, free shipping is available on purchases greater than $75, but clearance items are 25-to-40 percent off.
And amazon.com is offering the Kindle DX for $259, down from a usual $379.
Online sales on Black Friday were up 26-percent from last year.
HOT JOBS
And what are the hot jobs in this cold economy?
One word – technology.
Salaries are expected to rise by more than nine-percent for mobile app developers.
If you're a data warehouse analyst, salaries are expected to jump nearly seven-percent.
And if your expertise is in making the user experience better, your pay is projected to jump more than six-percent.
There's also a demand for making websites safer.
Watch Lisa's report:
Lisa van der Pool of the Boston Business Journal can be seen weekdays at 6 a.m. on WBZ-TV.