An analyst firm said that freezing temperatures were unlikely to deter bargain hunters for Thanksgiving

The freezing weather and dry streets of Long Island for Thanksgiving will probably make holidaymakers want to buy coats, gloves, winter sports gear and other items used outdoors.

That's according to Planalytics, a company based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, that quantifies the economic impacts of weather conditions on businesses.

Long Island residents on a bargain-hunting trip to Thursday's stores will be hit by a chill, with temperatures reaching 25 degrees Celsius, recording a record 31 degrees for the day. 2008, Rich Hoffman, meteorologist at News 12, told Newsday on Wednesday.

But the cold could bode well for the stores at the start of the five-day period that includes Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber ​​Monday, among the biggest shopping days of the year.

"Thus, the combination of dry weather (or no bad weather) and cold weather should be beneficial for all store traffic, and for out-of-town customers, seasonal categories will be better off. well, "said Evan Gold, executive vice president of Partnerships and Global Alliances at Planalytics.

Products that will see sales increase include heaters, which will be 32 per cent higher than last year; hats, gloves and scarves – 19 percent more; coats – 11 percent higher; and winter sports equipment – 13% higher, according to Planalytics.

Black Friday has begun to enter Thanksgiving regularly about five years ago and several retailers will open sooner than ever before.

However, pedestrian traffic in stores is declining overall, with consumers making more electronic purchases in the comfort of their own homes.

Online shopping between Thanksgiving and Cyber ​​Monday is expected to be $ 23.4 billion in sales, an increase of 19.4% from the amount spent in the last year period , according to Adobe Analytics, a division of the Adobe Inc. software company based in San Jose, California.

While Black Friday will be the most important day for pedestrian traffic in stores during the season, the biggest turnover for in-store sales will be December 22, the Saturday before Christmas, according to RetailNext, a sales company. at retail based in San Jose. business.

Retailers have learned to better distribute their discounts over the holiday season. The five-day shopping period that begins with Thanksgiving therefore has less sense of urgency, said Marshal Cohen, retail industry expert at NPD Group, a market research company. based in Port Washington.

Retailers can no longer worry about selling today, said Charlie O'Shea, a senior retail analyst at Moody's Corp., a Manhattan-based financial services firm.

"All they should be concerned about is that they get the sale and that it is not passed on to someone else," he said.

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune Review and Observer Dispatch in Utica, New York.