Retail sales over the Black Friday weekend dropped 11% from 2013, according to a survey by Prosper Insights & Analytics for the National Retail Federation.  That’s a big drop, but at least some of the change is undoubtedly because more sales were pulled earlier by retailers beginning their holiday promotions at the beginning of the week, or even as early as the beginning of November. 

Shopping activity was also down, with 5.2% fewer shoppers shopping over the weekend.  But categories with potential for geek culture retailers did well: one-third of shoppers bought toys and nearly 35% bought books, videos, or video games. 

Also on the plus side, the NRF is still projecting a 4.1% increase in holiday sales for the full season, according to Associated Press.