Poll: Where Are You Doing Your Holiday Shopping?

There are plenty of ways to spend money this holiday season, and shoppers are already in full swing.

Black Friday saw a record number of shoppers hit the stores, with an estimated $52.4 billion spent over the four-day holiday weekend. Each shopper spent an average of $398.62 in stores nationwide, according to the National Retail Federation. 

Online outlets also saw a surge. Since Black Friday — deemed the biggest shopping day of the year for retailers — shoppers also spent an average of $150.53 on the web, totalling 37.8 percent of their total weekend spending. A quarter of shoppers remarked that they either did or intend to buy items using their smartphones and tablets, according to an NRF survey.

However, the concern for Berkeley businesses is not how shoppers are buying their goods — but where. Are they attracted to the big deals at major chain stores, or are they shopping locally and helping the economy in their own back yard?

The City of Berkeley during gift-buying season. According to Buy Local Berkeley, in addition to fostering job creation, helping the environment and keeping Berkeley unique — for every $100 spent at local shops, $68 remains in the community. 

Are you shopping locally this year? Take the poll and tell us about your favorite stores in the comments.