How Much Money Did Americans Spend on Black Friday?

The tills have been emptied, the credit card receipts tallied. Early reports indicate that Americans spent $45 billion on Black Friday 2010, the day after Thanksgiving. Yowzers.

That figure is presented by the National Retail Federation, which over the weekend surveyed 4,306 shoppers to estimate total spending. According to the survey, 212 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 195 million last year. People also spent more, with the average shopper this weekend spending $365.34, up from last year's $343.31. Total spending reached an estimated $45.0 billion.

Next up, Cyber Monday, which online retailers expect will haul in more dough than last year's record numbers.

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