Black Friday now 'three-day event': Boulder stores gear up for Small Business Saturday
Nov 24, 2012 (Menafn - Daily Camera - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --"Black Friday" may have gotten an early start this year, but consumers still turned out in droves in Boulder and Broomfield on what is typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
The push by retailers to further extend the Christmas shopping season -- which, at 32 days this year, already is the longest possible stretch -- resulted in "door-buster deals" occurring simultaneously with some turkey and pigskin. Stores such as Walmart and Target opened at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively, on Thanksgiving, while others -- including more than 100 tenants at Broomfield's FlatIron Crossing mall -- opened at midnight or geared up for Small Business Saturday.
The idea of the pre-dawn frenzied retail openings is being diluted,
which could be beneficial to retailers and consumers alike, said retail analyst Jon Schallert, president of the Longmont-based The Schallert Group Inc.
"It's really turning into a three-day event rather than this one evening of buying," he said.
The multi-day approach to begin the busy retail season combined with an increasingly confident consumer base has Schallert bullish that holiday sales gains could be between 5 and 7 percent, or higher. The National Retail Federation projected a 4.1 percent pickup in sales compared with last year.
"I think this is going to probably be the best Christmas and fourth quarter in the last five to seven years," he said. "I think it's going to blow retail estimates away."
During FlatIron Crossing's second installment of its "Midnight Madness" event, mall officials unlocked the doors at 11 p.m. Thursday, allowing thousands of bargain-seeking shoppers to line up outside stores.
Attracting some of the largest crowds were apparel stores Hollister Co. and H&M, which boasted lines that nearly converged.
The flurry of late-night activity dwindled around 3 a.m., but by midday Friday the mall's parking lots grew fuller as another throng of shoppers sought out
discounts.
In Macy's, lines at each customer service station were at least 10 people deep.
While some shoppers strolled through the hallways of the mall and window shopped, a few shoppers were hauling multiple bags in each hand.
"So far this Black Friday is shaping up to be pretty much the same as last year," said Ed Simons, store manager of the It's Your Move game store at FlatIron Crossing.
Simons said his store had a strong showing last year on Black Friday.
"We'll see how it goes," he said.
As shoppers came in waves to retailers Thursday night, midnight and midday Friday, others tried going for specific items at "off-peak" hours.
Just before 10 a.m., Laurel Belk, 31, had finished a quick shopping outing at Twenty Ninth Street mall in Boulder. The former Boulder resident needed a winter coat, and Macy's had a good deal.
"I think this is the most mellow Black Friday I could ever imagine," she said.
At about the same time, Boulder resident Collin Hoekman started an endeavor to find deals on Blu-ray movies that took him to the Target in Boulder and Walmart in Lafayette. Both retailers were low-key when Hoekman did his browsing.
"It hasn't been bad at all," he said.
Throngs of families and shoppers also headed to downtown Boulder, where locally owned shops such as Holiday & Co. offered Black Friday sales.
"You have to have a sale," said Jeanne Ellis, co-owner of the nearly 20-year-old clothier at 943 Pearl St.
Ellis and co-owner Paula Hansen said they were optimistic that they would see a strong showing from existing and new customers Saturday for Small Business Saturday, a promotion developed by American Express to drum up interest and sales in independent businesses.
"Hopefully they want to go local," Hansen said.
Close to 50 downtown-area businesses are participating in Small Business Saturday, according to a listing on Downtown Boulder's website: boulderdowntown.com.
Retail analyst Schallert said he anticipates that the day could prove to be quite successful for small businesses. American Express stepped up its advertising and also launched initiatives that include giving free doormats to participating merchants.
"They (American Express) dabbled in this the last couple of years," he said. "They're not dabbling anymore."
Broomfield Enterprise photographer David Jennings contributed to this report.
Contact Camera Business Writer Alicia Wallace at 303-473-1332 or wallacea@dailycamera.com.
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