Black Friday Sales Down More Than $1 Billion

Shoppers this year still wanted to get a head start on their holiday gift list on Black Friday — but overall were less willing to brave the crowds.

Sales on Thanksgiving and Black Friday both fell in stores this year, with a growing amount of people pursuing their discounts online instead.

Brick and mortar sales on Black Friday fell from $11.6 billion in 2014 to $10.4 billion in 2015, according to the retail researcher ShopperTrak. Sales on Thanksgiving fell from just over $2 billion to $1.8 billion. Both decreases are attributed to the increase in online sales, the Associated Press reports.

Meanwhile, online sales jumped 14 percent on Black Friday from 2014, bringing in $2.72 billion altogether. The increase came during a week of online sales and promotions leading up to Cyber Monday on Nov. 30, forecasted to be the biggest e-commerce sales day of the year.