MILWAUKEE (WTAQ) - Four of every ten Wisconsin shoppers will spend more on Black Friday than they did a year ago -- and 6 of every 10 say they'll probably bust their budgets.
BMO Harris Bank released a holiday shopping report Thursday morning.
It said Wisconsinites will spend an average of $362 on Black Friday -- less than the national average of $418.
Computer-savvy shoppers are projected to spend $360 on Cyber Monday, right after the Thanksgiving weekend. That's about $13 less than the national projection.
BMO Harris says the percentage of Wisconsinites who plan to increase their spending is about the same as the nation as a whole.
Sal Guatieri, a senior economist for BMO Capital Markets, says the U.S. shopping season will likely be "moderately better" than last year due to lower unemployment, improved consumer confidence, high equity markets, and lower gas prices.
He said the only thing holding back shoppers are sluggish wage increases -- and that's expected to change next year.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)