Droves of shoppers hungry for bargains skipped all-day feasts and family time on Thursday to get an early start on huge Black Friday sales, as a record number of stores opened on Thanksgiving in an effort to drum up much-needed sales. Sears, Walmart, Target, Banana Republic and Gap were among the stores that welcomed customers on Thanksgiving, eager to start early on analysts’ projections that holiday sales will approach 2007 levels after a record decline in 2008 and stagnant spending in 2009 rattled the industry.
Sears salesman Ahmed Hussain said he sold more appliances in the five hours the Falls Church store was open Thursday than on any other day in his 13 years working for the department store.
“This was completely beyond my expectations,” he said, wide-eyed and beaming as a steady stream of customers poured through the doors.
| Jingle bells |
| Consumers plan to spend an average of $688.87 on holiday-related shopping in 2010, a slight increase from last year’s $681.83. |
| Gifts |
| Family: $393.55 |
| Friends: $71.45 |
| Co-workers: $18.26 |
| Others: $34.82 |
| Other |
| Decorations: $41.51 |
| Greeting cards: $26.10 |
| Candy and food: $86.32 |
| Flowers: $16.86 |
| Source: National Retail Federation |
The National Retail Federation is projecting a 2.3 percent increase in this season’s spending, for a total $447.1 billion of store sales between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31.
NRF President Kathy Grannis said Thanksgiving shopping is a special perk for the most committed of bargain hunters.
“It’s one more day [shoppers] get to find the perfect gift,” Grannis said, noting “the decision to stay open isn’t inexpensive.
“Retailers are listening directly to the shoppers,” she said.
Shopper Janis Coleman said she swung through a few department stores in Falls Church after running to the grocery store for last-minute cooking ingredients.
“I don’t think shopping on Thanksgiving takes away from family time,” she said, leafing through a rainbow of wool sweaters at Sears. “I found some really unexpected bargains and crossed a few gifts off my list.”
She swung her arm around a giant bag stuffed with a new comforter — marked down $10 — and vowed to return for Friday’s early morning rush.
Roughly 18 million people shopped on Thanksgiving last year — up from 16 million in 2008, Grannis said. Black Friday, the ultimate shopping experience for every bargain hunter, drew nearly 80 million shoppers. As a testament to their commitment: one out of every three Black Friday shoppers hit the stores by 5 a.m.
The estimated growth in holiday sales this year lags the average 4.2 percent increase retailers could expect annually before the economy crashed in 2008, but it far exceeds last year’s near-stagnant spending.
“It’s really important to combat what has transpired in the economy,” said Jesse Tron, spokesman for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Holiday sales, which account for one-quarter of the retail industry, fell by more than $17 billion in 2008 and grew by $2 billion last year.
Retailers began marketing Black Friday-esque doorbusters as early as October this year to beat their competition.
“The economic recovery is a lot stronger [this year],” Tron said, noting that malls are expecting a 3.5 percent sales increase. “There are consumers out there who are willing to spend, and it’s important to market aggressively to really entice them to do so.”
But shoppers have been slow to respond.
“Consumers are actually behind on their shopping,” Tron said, referring to an ICSC survey conducted Nov. 20. Respondents said they had completed less than a quarter of their holiday shopping — a drop from the same time last year, when respondents had crossed off roughly one-third of their gift lists.
“It seems consumers are a bit more willing to dig into their wallets this year and get back into the spirit of fun gift-giving again,” Grannis said.
Pennsylvania native Vicki Kaufman said this is the first year she plans to be one of the thousands of shoppers huddled outside storefronts before dawn on Friday.
Kaufman said her daughter, Jody, is planning to push her out the door by 3 a.m. for the earliest sales.
Meanwhile, Kaufman’s husband — who trolled the streets of Columbia Heights looking for early sales with Kaufman on Thursday — said he refuses to join after testing the waters last year and finding “total mayhem.”
