Super Saturday
Encyclopedia
Super Saturday is the last Saturday
before Christmas
, a major day of revenue for American retail
ers, marking the end of the shopping season they and many customers believe as starting on Black Friday
. Super Saturday targets last-minute shoppers. Typically the day is ridden with one-day sales
in an effort to accrue more revenue than any other day in the Christmas and holiday season.
Super Saturday accounts for a significant portion of the holiday sales for retail stores. In 2006, a study determined that sales between December 21 and 24 accounted for 13.6 percent of holiday sales. (In 2006, Super Saturday fell on December 23.) Some businesses do as much as 60 percent of their sales on this day.
In an effort to attract customers, stores often extend their hours during these crucial days of the retail season. Some stores go as far as to leave their stores open all day long until Christmas Eve
in hopes that customers will take the extra time during off-peak hours to both review alternative options and to spread out workloads for cashiers. Because stores predict double or triple their typical customer turnout on Super Saturday, many increase their staffing during these critical days to be able to handle the demand.
Some shoppers, however, intentionally wait for Super Saturday to finish their shopping due to the availability of discounts. Alternative reasons for waiting until the final Saturday to make holiday purchases include ensuring that purchases are within budget. Other customers choose to do their shopping early in an attempt to avoid the long lines and large crowds associated with the retail holiday.
Unlike Black Friday, online
shopping does not typically infringe upon retail stores' access to customers. Due to Super Saturday's proximity to Christmas
, shoppers are typically reluctant to venture online for deals, as purchases may not be able to arrive in time for the holiday. However, this is not always the case. If customers are unable to gain access to the stores, like what happened during the North American blizzard of 2009
, customers who have little time left to buy their gifts may be forced online.
for example, the Saturday on which most broadcasters organize their national final is often declared as Super Saturday.
Saturday
Saturday is the day of the week following Friday and preceding Sunday.Saturday is the last day of the week on many calendars and in conventions that consider the week as beginning on Sunday, or the sixth day of the week according to international standard ISO 8601 which was first published in...
before Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, a major day of revenue for American retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
ers, marking the end of the shopping season they and many customers believe as starting on Black Friday
Black Friday (shopping)
Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day, most major retailers open extremely early, often at 4 a.m., or earlier, and offer promotional sales to kick off the shopping season, similar to Boxing...
. Super Saturday targets last-minute shoppers. Typically the day is ridden with one-day sales
Discounts and allowances
Discounts and allowances are reductions to a basic price of goods or services.They can occur anywhere in the distribution channel, modifying either the manufacturer's list price , the retail price , or the list price Discounts and allowances are reductions to a basic price of goods or services.They...
in an effort to accrue more revenue than any other day in the Christmas and holiday season.
Sales
Super Saturday typically nets approximately $15 billion in retail sales. To compete with each other, stores offer significant discounts and extend store hours in an attempt to attract customers and drive impulse buying. This is significant in comparison to Black Friday, which, in 2009, accrued only $2.7 billion dollars in tech sales.Super Saturday accounts for a significant portion of the holiday sales for retail stores. In 2006, a study determined that sales between December 21 and 24 accounted for 13.6 percent of holiday sales. (In 2006, Super Saturday fell on December 23.) Some businesses do as much as 60 percent of their sales on this day.
In an effort to attract customers, stores often extend their hours during these crucial days of the retail season. Some stores go as far as to leave their stores open all day long until Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
in hopes that customers will take the extra time during off-peak hours to both review alternative options and to spread out workloads for cashiers. Because stores predict double or triple their typical customer turnout on Super Saturday, many increase their staffing during these critical days to be able to handle the demand.
Shoppers
The day typically nets a significant amount of revenue for retailers because of the demand by shoppers. 2009 reports indicated that by the middle of December, more than half of all shoppers in the United States still had more holiday shopping to do. Some experts predicted that approximately 40% of consumers hadn't started their holiday shopping by Super Saturday in 2009, with some customers citing full time jobs as impeding their access to stores earlier in the year. Cathy Bergh from The Christmas House notes that the day is significant because it is "the last chance [for shoppers] to get out and do their shopping."Some shoppers, however, intentionally wait for Super Saturday to finish their shopping due to the availability of discounts. Alternative reasons for waiting until the final Saturday to make holiday purchases include ensuring that purchases are within budget. Other customers choose to do their shopping early in an attempt to avoid the long lines and large crowds associated with the retail holiday.
Unlike Black Friday, online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
shopping does not typically infringe upon retail stores' access to customers. Due to Super Saturday's proximity to Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, shoppers are typically reluctant to venture online for deals, as purchases may not be able to arrive in time for the holiday. However, this is not always the case. If customers are unable to gain access to the stores, like what happened during the North American blizzard of 2009
North American blizzard of 2009
The North American blizzard of 2009 was a Category 2 nor'easter that formed over the Gulf of Mexico in December 2009 and became a major snowstorm for the East Coast of the United States and Canadian Atlantic provinces...
, customers who have little time left to buy their gifts may be forced online.
Other usages
Super Saturday can also be used for any Saturday where a large number of related events are held. In the context of the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
for example, the Saturday on which most broadcasters organize their national final is often declared as Super Saturday.