Published: November 25, 2009 10:34 pm         

Wabash Valley retailers ready for rush of Black Friday

Stores pushing ‘extended sales,’ mall official says

TERRE HAUTE — Temperatures before dawn will be around freezing, but that’s not expected to stop Black Friday from being yet again the biggest retail shopping day of the year.

Wabash Valley stores are tempting shoppers with “door buster” sales and “mystery” bargains to ensure Black Friday is truly the day retailers’ balance sheets enter the black.

Stores “are really pushing extended sales and special offers,” said Monica Schiller, marketing director for Honey Creek Mall. Retailers, especially department stores, are offering big sales and many have been slashing prices for weeks, she said.

“I think [the sales] are coming earlier than I’ve ever seen them,” Schiller said.

As if to highlight that point, Toys “R” Us, the world’s biggest toy and baby item retailer, is opening at midnight on Thanksgiving night — a store first. It’s also offering dozens of “door buster” deals and unadvertised “mystery deals” between midnight and 1 p.m., said Bob Friedland, a Toys “R” Us spokesman in New York.

“We always have big crowds on Black Friday,” he said.

Despite all the hustle and bustle, Black Friday is one of the most enjoyable days in the retail business, said Libby Edington, manager of the Waldenbooks at the Mall, which will open at 7 a.m. Black Friday. “A lot of prep goes into it,” Edington said. “There will be a lot of people with a lot of lists” and most will be in a big hurry, she said.

It’s even fun to watch some of the shoppers running through the mall early Friday morning, Edington said. “And they literally run.”

While many stores will open at 7 a.m. Friday, some stores, especially department stores, are opening even earlier. Sears, J.C. Penney and Elder-Beerman at Honey Creek Mall and Kohl’s at Honey Creek Commons are all opening Friday at 4 a.m.

Stores start gearing up for Black Friday months in advance, said Todd Peterson, manager of J.C. Penney at Honey Creek Mall. “It’s such a big, big day, you want to start with your best foot forward,” he said. “People are just fired up to be there.”

Probably due to the sluggish economy, retailers are focusing more on selling necessities this year, local store managers said. Also, this year’s shoppers are very “coupon driven” and “everyone is looking for a bargain,” said Gloria Schopper, manager of Stein Mart at The Meadows on Terre Haute’s east side.

One of the top selling items this year at J.C. Penney will likely be young men’s jeans, Peterson said. Toys “R” Us expects to see big sales of Zhu Zhu Pet hamsters, Friedland said. And at Waldenbooks, the new Stephen King novel, the new Sarah Palin book and the new music CD by new British phenomenon Susan Boyle all are expected to be big sellers, Edington said.

Shoppers enjoy the camaraderie, tradition and excitement of Black Friday, but retailers also know people are up early looking for bargains. Several stores at Honey Creek Mall, for example, are offering coupons online this year at www.honeycreekmall.com, Schiller noted. “You can save hundreds of dollars” with those coupons, she said.

In order to add its own drama to Black Friday, Stein Mart is offering 50 “fabulous finds,” which are big sale items kept under cover until early Friday morning. “They’ll be all over the store,” Schopper said.

Department store hours will be extended Friday and Saturday in Terre Haute for Black Friday.

J.C. Penney will be open 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Macy’s at Honey Creek Mall will be open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Sears will be open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

Kohl’s at Honey Creek Commons will be open 4 a.m. to midnight Friday and 6 a.m. to midnight Saturday. T.J. Maxx at Honey Creek Commons will be open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Elder-Beerman at the Mall will be open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Stein Mart will be open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.

The National Retail Federation is expecting more people to shop on Black Friday, but they may spend less. The group estimates 57 million people will visit stores on Black Friday, up 16 percent from last year. But the average shopper this holiday season is expected to spend $683 compared with $705 in 2008, according to the federation.

“It’s a long day and a fun day,” J.C. Penney’s Peterson said of Black Friday. Many people are looking for bargains, but many also just enjoy the excitement of being around friends, family and lots of other people. “If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be there.”



Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

     

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