By Matt Sepic, Nathan Bernier and Kurt Nickisch
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwmu/local-kwmu-798059.mp3
St. Louis, San Marcos, Tex. and Boston – Black Friday was not as bad as many retailers had expected. One estimate shows American shoppers spent three percent more on the first day of the holiday shopping season than last year.
But given the grim numbers from other economic indicators, this initial rally in consumer spending is not expected to stick around.
We sent three reporters out after Thanksgiving to gauge the mood of shoppers. To find out how some retailers did, we check in with a high-end mall in a St. Louis suburb, an outlet mall in San Marcos, Texas and online retailer in Boston.