Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/20346
Friday, November 26, 2010 – Daily News – 7A Business Thanksgiving sales bring shoppers, grumbles NEW YORK (AP) — Not all Americans tucked into turkey with their fami- lies on Thanksgiving. Some were out shopping, hitting sales ahead of the crowds expected Friday. After a year of cautious spending and worry over an uncertain economy and high unemployment, more stores this year extended hours into Thanksgiving Day, a day when stores are traditionally closed. Many grumble about the relentless march of com- mercialism creeping into the holiday. But at least some shoppers took the bait. While crowds appeared relatively light compared with the weekend ahead, the extended hours drew in overseas visitors, those who have to work Friday and some who couldn’t resist a good deal. Sears, Kmart and some Sports Authority, Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic stores were among those open Thursday. At an Old Navy in Lutherville, Md., Brenda Tarver, 65, a retired postal employee from Baltimore, was dragged out of the house by her daughters, but was finding good deals on clothing. ‘‘They’ve got good prices and a variety of items. A lot of things are 50 percent off,’’ she said. Willy Gerelbest, 45, a counselor from Brooklyn, was shopping at Kmart in New York for sneakers on sale for $9.99. ‘‘I saw the advertising and just wanted to check it out,’’ he said. ‘‘Tomorrow I have to work.’’ David Friedman, presi- dent of marketing for Sears Holdings Corp. said the decision to open 7 a.m.- noon on Thanksgiving Day stemmed from positive response to a similar ‘‘early Black Friday’’ sale in November, as well as suc- cess with Kmart, which Sears also owns and has been open on Thanksgiving for 19 years. Workers will earn holi- day pay and still be home in time for a Thanksgiving meal, Friedman said. At the Sears store at the Mall of America in Bloom- ington, Minn., the largest U.S. shopping and enter- tainment complex, sales were fueled by a charity walk at the mall. The walk — and a good sale — drew Helen Schultz, of White Bear Lake, Minn. She bought a 19-inch RCA LCD HDTV for $129.99, saving $70. But she said wouldn’t have bought it Thursday if she hadn’t been there for the charity walk. ‘‘I don’t think shopping should be done on Thanks- giving,’’ Schultz said. ‘‘But they need to make money.’’ Toys R Us CEO Jerry Storch said the company decided to open at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving Day because reaction was so positive to the stores’ midnight open- ing last year. Before that, stores opened at 5 a.m. on Friday. He expects brisk sales of hot toys like Santa- ma-jig, a green and red singing doll. ‘‘Customers lined up at 8 p.m. on last year. They wanted us to open earlier,’’ he said. A similar promotional blitz greeted online shop- pers Thursday, though the holiday isn’t a bonanza there, either. Last year, consumers spent about $300 million online on Thanksgiving, compared with $887 mil- lion on Cyber Monday, according to comScore. According to Akamai Technologies, which tracks traffic to 270 retail sites, traffic peaked at 11 a.m. and was up about 14 per- cent from Wednesday. Early data from Core- metrics, an IBM company, from early afternoon showed that online Thanks- giving Day sales were up about 10 percent over Thanksgiving a year ago. The average order size was down 18 percent from a year ago to $130.50, but that figures was getting big- ger as the day went on. John Thompson, senior vice president and general manager of Best Buy Inc.’s website, said this year the company reached out to its frequent online shoppers and gave them early access to deals. ‘‘Thanksgiving Day is a day when we are seeing more and more consumers choose online as a place to begin their research and actually transact,’’ he said. With nearly 15 million unemployed in the U.S., some store workers were grateful for the holiday pay or extra time off that comes with working on a holiday. SHOP SMALL join the movement at: facebook.com/SmaLLbUSINeSSSaTURDaY ©2010 AmericanExpress Bank,FSB.Allrightsreserved. NOVEMBER 27 help your favorite local businessesstart booming On November 27th, support the small business owners who are getting our economy going again. Shop your favorite local stores on the first-ever Small Business Saturday. SM