Worried U.S. Buyers Say Goodbye 'Black Friday' Sales :
Bargain hunters flocked to U.S. stores on Thursday night and Friday night, looking for offers, while worrying about their own economic well-being hesitant.
Some stores that want to capture a significant portion as possible of what should be a weak holiday season races, having pushed through openings in the Thursday night and opened at midnight for the first time in several years for a Quick Start on 'Black Friday', the traditional start of the season of the U.S. holiday shopping.
The strategy seemed to work, judging by the 300 people who were in line at Toys R Us store in Long Island, New York before opening 21 on Thursday.
Shoppers Were Looking For Bargains, But Customers Like James McBreaty Was Exactly What Retailers Want - Those Who Also Purchase Things Beyond The "door Buster" Deals With Resellers Offer To Attract Customers.
"We came to offer, but we have been discussing whether we will buy things that are not discounted," McBreaty, 32, a paralegal who was waiting with his wife Nicole said. "Probably the whole shop is not updated, but we are here, so we will buy the crap anyway."
In fact, the end of the business is going on for a long time, and retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT.N) and Toys R Us soon began offering layaway programs.
Retailers, Amazon.com (AMZN.O) to Wal-Mart, have also been offering online deals that Thanksgiving has become one of the biggest shopping days online throughout the year.
Retail executives and analysts predict a competitive season of 2010. Unemployment remains at 9 percent, the European debt problems weighing on the stock market and consumer confidence remains uneven.
National Retail Federation, the industry trade group, forecasts 2.8 percent growth in net sales in the month of November-December holiday season, down 5.2 percent growth in 2010.
Some Buyers Even Believe The Recession Is Back, Even If It Has Been Shown In Economic Data.
"This year we will go shopping, but I think it will be running as much as we usually do. Due to the recession, we will not buy too," said Desiree Schoolfield, 49, professional public service in Queens that was shopping at Toys R Us in Times Square.
Views mixed on early
Earlier Thursday, included a line outside a Best Buy in Union, NJ, customers who had erected a tent to keep warm until the store opens at midnight, according to Charles O'Shea , a senior analyst at Moody detail.
O'Shea said he was visiting various dealers to measure the traffic of the consumer. The big draws are the offers T-shirts for $ 6, down $ 12 Offers like them, will be a fixed point of the season, he said.
"There is no doubt that the customer is looking for opportunities," said O'Shea. "Nobody wants to feel like leaving money on the table, especially when they have less money now."
NRF offers 152 million people in the shops this weekend, up 10.1 percent last year.
Wal-Mart, Old Navy, which is part of Gap Inc (GPS.N), owned by Kmart and Sears Holdings (SHLD.O), some of the dealers were open on Thanksgiving Day.
To reduce the gap in hours with his rivals, businessman, Target Corp. (TGT.N), Best Buy electronics chain (BBY.N) Inc and store chain Macy (MN) and Kohl Corp (KSS.N) opens at midnight - its earliest start ever.
They caught the midnight openings online petition to save the workers' protests, and some buyers do not like the openings soon.
"Tonight, all the stores have decided to open at midnight which is difficult when it comes to enjoying a dinner with his family," said Louis Clapper, 24, while shopping at Wal-Mart in Farmingdale, New York. "Normally I leave the house at midnight, or 3-4 pm for the 5:00 opening. The shops open earlier."In the Herald Square Macy militants occupied several Wall Street chanting "Boycott Macy" and "stop supporting big business" despite the fact that 9000 people lined up to buy in the store.
Some retailers, including JC Penney Co. Inc. (JCP.N), will open early in the morning of Friday, so like last year.
Wal-Mart started its Black Friday "doorbuster" deals on Thursday at 10:00 pm in their stores. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN.O), not to be outdone, will offer its online offerings in 21 hours
The knock-down drag out battle comes as the increase in sales cooled in October, where many top chains like Macy and Saks reported sales disappointing.
It will be even more difficult for the chains that have struggled with declining sales in recent times, such as Gap and Penney.
Last year, after a good Black Friday weekend, consumers sitting on their hands until closer to July (Written by Brad Dorfman reports in Milwaukee by Dhanya Skariachan, Liana B. Baker and Phil Wahba in New York . Modification Muralikumar Anantharaman)
