Stores Embrace Black Friday
By Dennis Phillips, dphillips@post-journal.comArticle Photos
From big-screen TVs to used clothing to automobiles, all will be on display and priced to go for the busiest shopping day of the year - Black Friday.
Black Friday is the name given to the day after Thanksgiving, which is known for consumers waking up at the break of dawn to take advantage of once-a-year deals from merchants. The title also stands for the first day businesses go from red - operating at a deficit - to black - making a profit.
One of the largest retailers in the area is the Lakewood Kmart, which opens at 6 a.m. today. Aliyce Inglesby, Kmart manager, said the retail chain is not going by the usual name the day after Thanksgiving has been infamous for, but instead will be calling the day ''Blue Friday'' a tribute to the store's ''Blue Light'' specials, which will run from 6 to 11 a.m. Ms. Inglesby said two of the main specials the store will be offering is a 32-inch Sony Bravia television for $379 and wireless notebooks for $119.
Ms. Inglesby said because of the widely advertised specials and Kmart programs, the store is expecting more shoppers this year than in past years.
''With our promotions on the items we will have on sale and our layaway program, we will see more shoppers compared to last year,'' she said.
Ms. Inglesby said the Kmart chain spends six weeks preparing for the busiest shopping day of the year company-wide and locally spends a week to make sure the store is fully stocked. Also, the store will have more employees on hand to help customers.
''All associates are scheduled to work through the weekend,'' she said. ''We will spend 20 percent more than usual on associate salaries.''
Ms. Inglesby said the extra employees on hand will stay that way from Friday until the end of the holiday season.
Retail chains are not the only merchants preparing for more shoppers. E.B.E's Originals, a consignment store that specializes in top-quality, casual, trendy, brand-name clothing, handbags and jewelry, is also expecting more consumers. Bobbi Bragg, store owner, said she is already seeing a rush of shoppers to her store.
''We are booming (Wednesday) and yesterday and we will be booming on Black Friday,'' she said. ''The used-clothing business is definitely booming right now.''
Ms. Bragg said every Black Friday the store sees an increasing in shoppers. She also offers outstanding deals to shoppers, like 6,000 pieces of clothing available at a $1 apiece throughout the store's three locations in Frewsburg, Lakewood and Warren, Pa.
''I do run sales and tend to see more people,'' she said. ''I always have a good turn out for Black Friday.''
Prototypical merchants aren't the only businesses that will see an increase in foot traffic Friday. Car dealerships also see more people, according to car pricing researchers at the Web site www.Truecar.com.
Analysts looked at day-by-day car pricing for the last several years. That data revealed that discounts on Black Friday are, on average, the biggest of the year. The average new car discount on Nov. 27 is projected to be 7.5 percent. The average discount the day before and after is expected to be just over 6 percent. On a typical day throughout the year, car shoppers usually pay about 4.7 percent less than the sticker price.
Bill Hartley, Hartley Buick Honda Pontiac GMC Trucks owner, said Black Friday isn't typically a hectic day for car sales in the area.
''A few out-of-town owners will be here. People with broken-down cars or people due for a new car,'' he said.
Hartley does agree with the study as far as the holiday season being a good time to negotiate a car deal.
''The holiday season can be a slow time with people being occupied with so much else going on in their lives,'' he said. ''Every deal is looked at and scrutinized in order to sell a car. Right now, any day is a good day for the consumer here. Everything is in the consumer's favor.''
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Happytocomment
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11-28-09 1:32 PM
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I truly hope while people are out there shopping for the holidays that they take time to search out AMERICAN MADE PRODUCTS. You may think buying cheap is the way to go but remember this, American jobs are being lost by the hundreds of thousands because you buy CHEAP. Your job may be the next to move out of the country. Buy American or you will be part of the problem not the solution. Boycot Walmart. Search for American Made Products.
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