More than 1.3 million Nevadans to hit the stores

Shopping is as much a Thanksgiving tradition for U.S. consumers as turkey and football, and shoppers in Nevada will benefit this weekend as major retailers offer deep discounts and promotions to compete for their business.

The Retail Association of Nevada (RAN) estimates that more than 1.3 million people in the Silver State contemplate shopping over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, which is one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. An estimated 1.8 million Nevadans will continue their hunt for deals on Cyber Monday.

“Retailers are extremely competitive this year and will be offering attractive pricing across all merchandise categories, from consumer electronics to household goods to clothing,” said Bryan Wachter, senior vice president of RAN. “Nevadans heading to their local shopping centers or online stores this weekend will definitely find deals to their liking.”

RAN’s projections are based on nationwide survey data from the National Retail Federation (NRF), which estimates that 137.4 million Americans contemplate shopping at stores or online outlets between Thursday and Sunday of the long weekend. Black Friday will be the busiest day of the weekend, as 74.0 percent of weekend shoppers plan to do so on the day after Thanksgiving. Saturday will be the second-busiest day (46.7 percent of shoppers), followed by Sunday (24.2 percent) and Thanksgiving Day (21.1 percent).

In Nevada, the total number of shoppers over the four-day weekend is projected to increase by 3.2 percent over one year ago. The busiest day is expected to be Black Friday with up to 970,000 shoppers, an increase of 3.9 percent from the 934,000 estimated Black Friday shoppers of a year ago. Sunday is expected to draw 317,000 shoppers, an 8.1 percent rise from a year ago. This increase more than offsets slight shopper declines on Thanksgiving Day (down 2.4 percent to 277,000) and Saturday (down 1.7 percent to 612,000).

Rising shopper activity is projected to continue through Cyber Monday, the largest online shopping day of the year. RAN estimates that eight in 10 adults in Nevada (1.8 million residents) will surf the web for more deals on the Monday after the long weekend. This year’s projection is up from the 1.7 million estimated Cyber Monday shoppers in 2015.

For most Nevadans, the long weekend will begin with a traditional Thanksgiving feast. This year’s meal will be a little cheaper than a year ago as the overall price of turkey, pumpkin pie and other traditional Thanksgiving Day meal fixings have declined slightly. According to the 31st annual American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) price survey, a traditional Thanksgiving meal for 10 will cost an average of $49.87 this year, a decrease of 24 cents from last year’s average of $50.11.

The Retail Association of Nevada (RAN) estimates that with a per-person cost of $4.99, consumers in Nevada will spend about $14.5 million on Thanksgiving meals this year, up 1.7 percent from the $14.2 million last year due to the state’s rising population.

The largest food category price decrease this year was miscellaneous ingredients (down 37 cents), followed by the most traditional part of the meal – the turkey. According to the AFBF survey, the price of a 16-pound bird dropped 30 cents to $22.74. Other items recording price decreases were a gallon of whole milk (down 8 cents), pumpkin pie mix (down 7 cents) and a one-pound relish tray (down 6 cents).

Food items that increased in price were rolls (up 21 cents), pie shells (up 12 cents), fresh cranberries (up 10 cents), green peas (up 6 cents), whipping cream (up 6 cents), cubed stuffing (up 6 cents) and sweet potatoes (up 3 cents).

Since 1986, the American Farm Bureau Federation has conducted informal price surveys of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table.