“As early as the day before Thanksgiving, retailers rolled out the red carpet for their customers with uniquely-timed offers on electronics, apparel, sporting goods, toys and more”, Shay stated. A fight occurred between two shoppers in Kentucky that looks all too familiar for Black Friday.
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“I’m just going store to store to see what I find”. They swarmed the malls and the shops and the big-box retailers, and they jockeyed for parking spaces into the evening.
While I’m more of a Christmas person, what’s not to like about Thanksgiving?
Lisa Bisenius is the general manager at the White Marsh Mall. She said she can’t remember seeing so many deals on appliances and televisions.
It’s a trend partly born out of convenience.
Northeast Mississippi shoppers were out in full force only hours after their Thanksgiving lunches.
One woman left her job late Friday night in tears, after a grueling 15-hour shift.
Retail expert Richard Hyman said his research had shown 26% of high street stores had opted out of Black Friday.
“The excitement continued into Thursday as reports of long lines outside stores on Thanksgiving and Black Friday were matched by reports of record-breaking online sales”, said Matthew Shay, NRF president and CEO, in a news release. She said customers who found the online store had sold out were coming into the store to find hard-to-get items.
“I won’t do it”, she said, standing in a modest line in advance of Best Buy’s opening on in Duluth on Black Friday.
An online campaign called them the Dirty Dozen, and urged shoppers to protest. The Sierra Vista Chamber of Commerce and many of its member stores have been promoting “Small Business Saturday”, which emphasizes the value and importance of shopping at local, small stores. Shoppers there said they weren’t about to let a little damp weather, dampen the mood.
For Pam Williams, the Black Friday shopping has lost a bit of its luster because there’s no rush of getting a sought-after item. Gerald Storch, CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company, which also operates Lord & Taylor, said the deals at the stores are even more aggressive than past year and include a $75 gift card with a $150 in-store purchase.
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It’s no surprise that online and mobile sales are seeing the biggest projections for growth in the retail industry. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, almost 60 percent of holiday shoppers have already started holiday shopping as of November 10.
