The shopping extravaganza called Black Friday weekend has drawn very large numbers across the nation according to the National Retailer Federation.

The NRF website reported, “more than 35 million Americans visited retailers’ stores and websites Thursday – up from 29 million last year.”

That could prove to be just the medicine needed for retailers in the Kitsap County region and the country as businesses try to break out of the Great Recession doldrums.

Sharon Wilkes, marketing manager for the Kitsap Mall said Black Friday was “great and it went through the weekend.”

The NRF cited a survey by BIGinsight that stated retail spending increased over the weekend, including at stores and online.

“More people than ever before also shopped online and in stores on Black Friday, as 89 million shoppers braved the crowds, up from 86 million last year,” the NFR website stated. “According to the survey, a record 247 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 226 million last year.”

The total spending cited by NFR was an estimated $59.1 billion with an average of $432 per shopper, an increase from last year’s mark of $398.

The survey reported, “NRF also asked shoppers which days they shopped online – more than one-quarter (27.0 percent) of holiday shoppers said they shopped online on Thanksgiving Day, and nearly half (47.5 percent) on Black Friday.”

Wilkes said another rush will come at the Kitsap Mall as Christmas nears.