U.S. consumer spending increases

PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. consumers have begun to open their wallets a bit wider lately, spending on average $124 from Black Friday through Dec. 5, a survey said.

A Gallup poll said spending -- excluding spending on routine bills or house or car purchases -- averaged $94 a day Nov. 1-25.

Average spending soared on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, to an average $177, placing that among the top 10 percent of all spending days for the year, Gallup said.

Including Black Friday, spending averaged $124 per day Nov. 28 through Dec. 5, Gallup said.

Gallup's daily spending poll was introduced this year and has no previous data for year-to-year comparisons.

However, based on other surveys, "Americans report lower average anticipated spending on gifts this year than in any previous year in which this measure has been updated," Gallup said.

The "how much did you spend yesterday?" poll includes 1,000 interviews a day with the spending sums based on random selections of half the interviews. As such, the results include an error margin of $43, Gallup said.