Holiday shopping season off to record start

NEW YORK (AP) - If you make holiday shopping convenient, Americans will come in droves.

It's estimated that US shoppers hit stores and websites at record numbers over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation on Sunday.

They were attracted by retailers' efforts to make shopping easier, including opening stores on Thanksgiving evening, updating mobile shopping applications for smartphones and tablets, and expanding shipping and layaway options.

All told, a record 247 million shoppers visited stores and websites over the four-day weekend starting on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, up 9.2 per cent from last year, according to a survey of 4,000 shoppers that was conducted by research firm BIGinsight for the trade group.