Dan's Papers - November 23, 2007

Last year on the day after Thanksgiving, Joel Rodney and Damien Johnson of Hampton Bays rose from their slumber at 3 a.m. to join the masses to shop for the super sales on electronics at Best Buy. The store opened its doors at 5 a.m. for the special day and, although two hours early, they were too late. "The line wrapped around the outside of the store," said Johnson "They were letting people in groups at a time." By the time Rodney and Johnson entered the store, all of the price cut flat screen televisions and high-tech cameras were snatched up. This year the duo plans to get there at midnight, five hours early, making sure to receive an amazing bargain.

Thanksgiving is traditionally followed by the first day of the holiday shopping season. The New York Times and the Titusville Herald originally referred to the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday in 1975. The term was used to explicitly refer to the day's hectic nature and heavy traffic in comparison to other black days such as Black Tuesday of the 1929 stock-market crash.

Currently, Black Friday refers to retailers' huge business on this day, going from being in the "red" to turning a profit and moving into the "black." It is known to be the busiest shopping day of the year. Stores produce gigantic sales and open at 5 a.m. for bargain hunting junkies. Sales last all day but the best sale items are often bought up within an hour of the store opening during the early-morning "door-buster" sales. Americans rise before the crack of dawn to be a part of the buying frenzy.

The sales from Black Friday are said to predict how profitable the year's holiday shopping season will be for retailers and are a direct reflection on our economy. Last year the National Retail Federation (NRF) and BIGresearch reported that more than 140 million shoppers were out in the stores during Black Friday weekend. Each person spent an average of 360 dollars, up 18 percent from the previous year's 302 dollars. Last year, traditional department stores were a popular destination and 23 percent of consumers took advantage of online-only Black Friday specials, which decreased the traffic from the previous year.

This year NRF predicts that sales will rise four percent and shoppers are expected to spend an estimated 819 dollars on holiday-related shopping plus an additional 106 dollars on themselves. However, experts cite high fuel prices and a housing crisis for cutbacks in consumer spending this season.

It is not uncommon to see people lining up during the wee hours of the morning outside stores anticipating their opening. This year, Tanger Outlets in Riverhead will open at 12 a.m. and remain open through 10 p.m. on Black Friday. Wal-Mart's Black Friday sale will include items such as a Polaroid 42" 1080p LCD HDTV for 798 dollars and a Compaq Resario Desktop Computer Bundle for $398. In addition to Black Friday, Kmart will have a big sale on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Toys are predicted to be some of the highest discount items of the day, but many consumer parents have concerns about the various recalled toys from China. A way to avoid worrying and gain knowledge about which toys are being recalled is to sign up for email alerts from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission at www.cpsc.gov.

Since the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the day after Thanksgiving has been the unofficial kick-off day for Christmas shopping across America. It is a beautiful tradition for people who love to shop and a practical one for those who like to buy many gifts. Black Friday specials used to be kept secret until the actual day. Today, consumers can learn about deals online and find tips on how to plan a successful shopping day.

For a complete list of where to go shopping this Friday, check out the "Shop 'til You Drop" coulmn on pg. 70.