Shopper types alter season's buying scene

Four types of American shoppers have altered the shopping landscape this holiday season.

There's the bargain hunter who times deals. The midnight buyer who stays up late for discounts. The returner who gets buyer's remorse. And the "me" shopper who self-gifts.

While it won't be known just how much Americans spent until the season ends on Saturday, it's clear they are shopping differently than in years past.

"We're seeing different types of buying behavior in a new economic reality," says C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group.

The bargain timer: Cost-conscious shoppers haven't just been looking for bargains this season. They've been more deliberate about when to find those deals. Many believe the biggest bargains come at the beginning and end of the season, which has created a kind of "dumbbell effect" in sales.

For the week ended Nov. 26, which included Black Friday, stores had the biggest sales surge compared with the prior week since 1993, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Stores Sales Index. The cumulative two-week-sales drop-off that followed marked the biggest percentage decline since 2000. Then, stores had another surge in the final days.

The midnight buyer: Bargain shoppers used to wake up at the crack of dawn to take advantage of big discounts on Black Friday. This year, some shoppers instead stayed up late on Thanksgiving night.

This shift in behavior was in large part due to retailers' efforts to outdo each other during the traditional start to the holiday shopping season. Stores like Macy's, Best Buy and Target opened at midnight on Thanksgiving night, offering deals that once were reserved for the next day.

Twenty-four percent of Black Friday shoppers were at stores at midnight, according to a poll by the National Retail Federation, up from 9.5 percent the year before.

The returner: Shoppers who were lured into stores by bargains gleefully loaded up on everything from discounted tablet computers to clothing early in the holiday season. But soon after, many suffered a case of buyer's remorse and rushed back to return items.

For every dollar stores take in this holiday season, it's expected they will have to give back 9.9 cents in returns, up from 9.8 last year, according to a survey of 110 retailers by the NRF. It would be the highest return rate since the recession. In better economic times, it's about 7 cents.

The "me" shopper: One for you; one for me.

After scrimping on themselves during the recession, Americans turned more self-indulgent. It's a trend that started last year, but became more prevalent this season.

According to the NRF, spending for non-gift items will increase by 16 percent this holiday season to $130.43 per person. That's the highest number recorded since it started tracking it in 2004.