Early deals draw shoppers, raise retail spirits

NEW YORK - Shoppers are raising retailers' spirits about the holiday season right before it kicks into high gear.

They reportedly spent a bit more in early November.

Early discounting on everything from TVs and sweaters as well as free shipping deals helped pull in buyers in the first two weeks of November.

MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse says spending on clothing, boots and luxury goods showed strong increases from the same period a year ago.

Deep discounts on flat-panel TVs because of a glut brought shoppers into stores to buy but kept spending on electronics about flat with a year ago. Home furnishings sales were worse.

Researcher CoreMetrics says that online, the average order value was about $198, up more than 10 percent from last year.