Happy Thanksgiving & Happy Shopping!

So here we go – Black Friday is almost upon us. Arguable the biggest shopping day of the year – at least the shopping day with the most hype. Well, given the Great Recession, there are some signs that things a wee bit different this year…

1. According to NRF’s 2009 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $682.74 on holiday-related shopping, a 3.2 percent drop from last year’s $705.01.

2. Though Americans were less inclined to purchase gift cards last season, the popular gifts retain their spot at the top of the list among gift recipients. According to the survey, 55.2 percent of adults would like to receive a gift card this holiday season, with clothing (48.8%), books and DVDs (48.6%) and electronics (33.2%) among other popular choices.

On the flip side, a recent poll by Consumer Reports revealed this about gift cards:

1) Most people don't want them: While 46 percent of people plan on buying gift cards, only 15 percent said they want to receive them as gifts.

2) 25% of the people polled haven't used the ones they got last December: During the 2008 holidays, about half of adults received a gift card, but one in four hadn't redeemed at least one of the cards as of last month.

3) 65% of adults who received a gift card in 2008 typically spend more than the value of the card, up from 58 percent in 2007.

4) Store-specific cards may limit gift choices: Forty-one percent of those who have unused gift cards from last year said that they hadn't found anything they wanted to buy.

5) Many cards carry fees: Consumers may have to pay an upfront fee to purchase a card, but there are also monthly "inactivity" fees that can slash the value of the card if the recipient doesn't use it within a specific time frame.

This will be less of a concern next year when The Credit Card Act of 2009 goes into full effect. It prohibits gift cards issued by banks or retailers from expiring for five years; and bans inactivity fees for the first 12 months. But the Act won't cover cards purchased this holiday season.

So Black Friday is coming whether I like it or not. And gift cards are going to play a big part of shopping this year whether I like it or not. So I guess all I can do today is to offer you something fun. Click on this video and enjoy “Straight No Chaser”… and relax….