Hope in Black Friday?

A recent survey conducted by Taubman Centers Inc. (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), a regional shopping center developer, finds that almost 60 percent of respondents plan to spend as much as they did in 2007 on Black Friday and 9 percent plan to spend more than the year previous.

The shopping spree may continue well into the weekend, with 28 percent of respondents saying they plan to continue shopping on Saturday, and 42 percent saying they’ll make purchases throughout the weekend.

According to the survey, conducted on Taubman’s websites and e-Bulletin between September 25 and October 8, shoppers expect to spend $400 on average the day after Thanksgiving. Clothing is the most reported shopping item, with 76 percent of respondents saying they'll be looking for women's apparel and 55 percent looking for men's. Electronics are also popular with almost 60 percent of shoppers, while books, CDs, jewelry and household goods also made the list.