(New York; November 22, 2002) This "Black Friday" (the day after Thanksgiving), more than one in three Americans (35%) plan to shop or browse at stores, malls or on the Web for holiday gift items, according to the 2002 American Express Retail Index on holiday spending.

In addition, 10% of Americans say they plan to start holiday gift shopping during the Thanksgiving weekend, while 6% say they will be completing their shopping during this weekend, according to the American Express survey.

Traditionally Black Friday is considered the start of the retail holiday season. Here's a look at shopping trends among Black Friday shoppers, according to the 2002 American Express Retail Index.

*Consumers who shop on Black Friday have similar gift lists as the general population, with one exception: toys rank the third most popular gift item instead of gift certificates or cash. Gifts favored by Black Friday shoppers include:

*Clothing/accessories (92%); Music, tapes, CDs/DVDs (76%); toys or games (75%); gift certificates/gift cheques (73%); perfume, cologne or cosmetics (60%); books, magazines or magazine subscriptions (54%); as well as electronics/appliances, such as home entertainment items (36%) and home furnishings (42%).

*Among those shopping at a variety of destinations this Black Friday, the majority (85%) said they plan to shop at mass merchandisers, such as Target/Wal-Mart. Other destinations shoppers say they plan to visit on Black Friday, includes:

*Department stores, (75%); toy stores (62%); music and video stores (58%) and bookstores (57%).

*Sales/discounts are the "name of the game" this holiday season, and particularly for consumers who shop on Black Friday. While 86% of general consumers say that sales/discounts will motivate their shopping decisions, 92% of consumers who shop on Black Friday are influenced by these deals.

General Shopping Trends

According to the American Express survey, consumers say they will spend $1,656 on average this holiday season, up 5% from last year. About 18% will make purchases online and 65% will set a budget. While cash is still the most popular form of payment for purchasing gifts, more consumers are using credit or charge cards this year. Sixty-three percent of consumers plan to pay for at least some, if not all of their purchases with charge and credit cards.

The American Express Retail Index on holiday shopping was conducted by telephone between October 11 and October 18 as part of an omnibus study and surveyed 800 heads of households, age 18 and older. The 2002 American Express Retail Index looked at spending, buying attitudes, shopping trends and preferences among the general consuming public. The margin of error is +/- 3.5%.