CALIFORNIA
We analyzed transactions for every day of the 2018 calendar year at over 52,000 small, local retail shops across the United States, including California. The result is a comprehensive look at when local retail shops of all kinds do the most business, when they sell the most items, and when customers spend a little extra when out shopping.
What we learned about local retail sales in California
California is the 11th-ranked state for average retail revenue in the United States, pulling in 12% more in daily revenue than the national average on a given day.
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How much do retail shops in California make on an average day?
On a given day, retail shops in California brought in $1,079 in revenue. The average retail business also processed about 14 transactions each day while seeing customers spend an average of $77.68 per ticket.
| Sales Revenue | Transactions | Ticket Size |
| $1,079 | 14 | $77.68 |
| National Rank: 11 | National Rank: 13 | National Rank: 18 |
What days of the week are retail shops in California busiest?
Fridays and Saturdays are busy at retail shops across the country, and things were no different for California retail businesses.
Fridays were particularly big, as 17% of all retail revenue in California came in on that day alone. On the other hand, Sunday was the slowest day of the week for California retail shops, with 9% of revenue coming in on that day.
Saturday was the busiest day of the week in terms of foot traffic, with California retail businesses processing an average of 18 transactions per day.
Californians spend more per transaction on weekdays, with Tuesdays claiming the largest average ticket size of the week at $85.27 per ticket. Locals are the most frugal on Sundays, when they spent an average of $24.83 less than on Tuesdays.
What time of year do retail shops in California make the most money?
Californians clearly love to shop regardless of the season, but what does the average year look like from week to week at retail shops in California? Let's take a look.
May was the biggest month of the year overall for retail shops in the Golden State, no doubt thanks to a huge lift from Mother's Day Weekend. The week leading up to the holiday was the 2nd biggest week of the year, and the week before that was the 7th. While May may have been the biggest month of the year overall, the holiday shopping season was responsible for the single-biggest week of the year for California retailers: December 16th through the 22nd.
Top 5 days for California retail businesses
The holiday shopping season was responsible for the biggest day of the year, and a total of two of the top five days of the year overall. Mother's Day shopping was also big from a single-day perspective for retailers in California, accounting for two top days as well.
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 |
12/21/18 Weekend before Christmas |
12/22/18 Weekend before Christmas |
5/12/18 Mother's Day Weekend |
5/11/18 Mother's Day Weekend |
2/14/18 Valentine's Day |
| Friday | Saturday | Saturday | Friday | Wednesday |
California retail shops on prominent days
Retail shops look to events and holidays to generate big sales for their business. Here’s how prominent days rank compared to the average day.
| Day rank based on total sales | How much did retail shops that were open make? | ||||||||
| Day | Day Rank | Total rev vs avg | % of retail shops open | Avg rev | Rev vs avg | Avg txns | Txns vs avg | Avg ticket | Ticket vs avg |
| New Year's Day | 363 | -73% | 25% | $987 | -9% | 17 | 23% | $57.57 | -26% |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | 290 | -12% | 81% | $985 | -9% | 13 | -10% | $78.77 | 1% |
| Day before Valentine's Day | 11 | 33% | 90% | $1338 | 24% | 16 | 14% | $84.35 | 9% |
| Valentine's Day | 5 | 45% | 92% | $1434 | 33% | 18 | 31% | $79.01 | 2% |
| President's Day | 273 | -6% | 79% | $1069 | -1% | 13 | -6% | $81.49 | 5% |
| St. Patrick's Day | 65 | 16% | 83% | $1264 | 17% | 18 | 27% | $71.86 | -7% |
| Friday before Easter | 16 | 29% | 95% | $1232 | 23% | 19 | 38% | $69.12 | -11% |
| Saturday before Easter | 43 | 20% | 82% | $1323 | -11% | 18 | 32% | $52.73 | -32% |
| Easter Sunday | 362 | -57% | 40% | $1,200 | 11% | 18 | 29% | $66.72 | -14% |
| Cinco de Mayo | 75 | 15% | 87% | $1,338 | 24% | 16 | 19% | $81.08 | 4% |
| Friday before Mother's Day | 4 | 47% | 100% | $1,556 | 44% | 22 | 55% | $72.11 | -7% |
| Saturday before Mother's Day | 3 | 49% | 87% | $1,168 | 8% | 20 | 43% | $58.65 | -24% |
| Mother's Day | 303 | -22% | 61% | $1,149 | 7% | 14 | 2% | $80.88 | 4% |
| Friday before Memorial Day | 21 | 26% | 100% | $1,247 | 16% | 18 | 27% | $70.44 | -9% |
| Saturday before Memorial Day | 70 | 15% | 84% | $1,114 | 3% | 17 | 19% | $67.41 | -13% |
| Memorial Day | 319 | -31% | 56% | $1,295 | 20% | 18 | 32% | $70.51 | -9% |
| Friday before Father's Day | 15 | 29% | 100% | $987 | -9% | 17 | 24% | $57.11 | -26% |
| Saturday before Father's Day | 27 | 23% | 86% | $864 | -20% | 16 | 18% | $52.63 | -32% |
| Father's Day | 345 | -38% | 57% | $1,233 | 14% | 15 | 6% | $83.9 | 8% |
| 4th of July | 361 | -55% | 47% | $1,333 | 24% | 19 | 35% | $71.31 | -8% |
| Friday before Labor Day | 12 | 32% | 97% | $1,189 | 10% | 18 | 26% | $67.73 | -13% |
| Saturday before Labor Day | 44 | 20% | 81% | $1,156 | 7% | 14 | -2% | $84.57 | 9% |
| Labor Day | 318 | -31% | 53% | $1,050 | -3% | 18 | 29% | $58.73 | -24% |
| Halloween | 95 | 12% | 88% | $688 | -36% | 14 | 2% | $48.39 | -38% |
| Veteran's Day | 341 | -37% | 55% | $1,706 | 58% | 22 | 55% | $79.08 | 2% |
| Thanksgiving | 364 | -78% | 28% | $1,350 | 25% | 19 | 36% | $71.29 | -8% |
| Black Friday | 8 | 38% | 73% | $1,076 | 0% | 17 | 22% | $63.62 | -18% |
| Small Business Saturday | 109 | 11% | 74% | $1,119 | 4% | 12 | -12% | $91.47 | 18% |
| Sunday after Thanksgiving | 338 | -35% | 55% | $1,632 | 51% | 19 | 35% | $86.72 | 12% |
| Cyber Monday | 212 | 1% | 82% | $1,872 | 73% | 24 | 69% | $79.55 | 2% |
| Friday before Christmas | 1 | 58% | 88% | $1,796 | 66% | 25 | 80% | $71.73 | -8% |
| Saturday before Christmas | 2 | 57% | 76% | $1,550 | 44% | 19 | 40% | $79.91 | 3% |
| Sunday before Christmas | 80 | 14% | 57% | $485 | -55% | 11 | -18% | $42.4 | -45% |
| Christmas Eve | 93 | 13% | 66% | $981 | -9% | 14 | -2% | $71.69 | -8% |
| Christmas Day | 365 | -93% | 14% | $485 | -55% | 11 | -18% | $42.4 | -45% |
| New Year's Eve | 316 | -30% | 64% | $981 | -9% | 14 | -2% | $71.69 | -8% |