Lured by a bevy of “early bird” specials, shoppers descended on stores in greater numbers than expected Friday, snapping up bargains on everything from digital cameras to Spiderman toys.
Shopping malls and national chains like Sears, Roebuck and Co. reported traffic was significantly stronger than last year on the day after Thanksgiving. The crowds also showed up earlier, lured by a wide range of bargains at almost every store.
“There’s been a lot of talk about a rebound in confidence,” said John Eyler, chief executive of Toys “R” Us. “I saw it tangibly in the marketplace today.”
A robust holiday shopping season would be good news for the still-shaky economy and the nation’s merchants, many of whom have struggled this year as cautious consumers pulled back on spending.
In addition to worrying about the effect military action in Iraq would have on consumers’ psyches, merchants are anxious because there are six fewer shopping days this year because Thanksgiving came late.
Friday’s strong showing won’t be enough to calm those fears because shoppers always come out the day after Thanksgiving. The question is whether consumers will take a breather in early December as they have in recent years.
“The biggest challenge for retailers is still next weekend,” said Britt Beemer, senior retail analyst with America’s Research Group. “If people take next weekend off, retailers are going to be singing the blues after Christmas.”
Nobody was singing the blues Friday.
Outdoor shopping areas such as North Michigan Avenue and State Street benefited from the unseasonably balmy weather Friday.
Traffic at the Sears store on State Street was five times greater Friday than it was last year, helped by 50 percent-off specials on portable power tools and $199 deals on camcorders.
“Our shopping carts are getting a big workout,” said Mary Conway, Sears’ executive vice president of stores.
Just across the border in Indiana, shoppers were still lined up to get in the Timberland outlet store at Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets by midafternoon.
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The Tommy Hilfiger store, which had been scheduled to open at 5:45 a.m., opened at 5 a.m. instead because a line was forming, said Janice Behler, assistant general manager for the Michigan City mall.
“By 10 a.m., some stores said they had made their goal for the day,” she said.
Fidencio Ramirez was doing his part Friday to make the season merry.
The Southwest Sider showed up at the Ford City Mall at 5:30 in the morning and spent $400 filling six bags with Barbies, Spiderman toys and board games from KB Toys for his two children and 15 nieces and nephews.
“I want to go home, but I have more shopping to do,” said Ramirez, who was trying to complete all his gift buying in one day.
The story was much the same at Woodfield mall in Schaumburg where sisters Connee Hartung and Debbie Biagi had planned their shopping mission with military precision. They knew what stores they wanted to hit and how long they were going to spend in each one.
At mid-day, after six hours of shopping, Hartung was loading bags of presents on a portable luggage rack. “We go until the last store closes,” said the Des Plaines resident whose gift list included close to 50 people.
Her sister admitted she was worried about the shortened shopping season. “It panics me,” said Biagi, who lives in Algonquin. “I’m having trouble today–nothing is hitting me. Usually, I have a lot more purchased by this time.”
Shopping also was a family activity at Oakbrook Center.
“People are trying to maintain a sense of traditionalism and normalcy,” said Jane Qastin, who was shopping with her husband, Abe. “I have seen four or five groups of shoppers that included what looked to be three generations.”
Still, some shoppers said they will be cutting back this year–because they have to.
“The theme this year is `You get what you need, not what you want.’ If it’s not on sale, I won’t get it,” said Trudy Streeter, a Southwest Side resident as she picked through sweaters for her 13-year-old son in the J.C. Penney store at Ford City.
Others with similar intentions found themselves breaking their resolutions right away.
Winnebago couple Glenn and Theresa Campbell had planned to trim their spending for a very special reason. They are adopting a son during Christmas.
But once they arrived at Woodfield, the pair soon accumulated bags from an array of stores. “The best laid plans of mice and men,” said Glenn with a shrug and a laugh, looking at the red, green and striped bags at his feet.
While some shoppers were hitting the stores, others stayed home and cruised the Internet. AOL reported that shopper traffic was up 50 percent by noon Friday, with the most-searched items being digital cameras, Hot Wheels toy cars and Barbie dolls.
Contrary to popular belief, the day after Thanksgiving is not the biggest shopping day of the year. That honor almost always falls to the last Saturday before Christmas.
Last year, the day after Thanksgiving actually ranked as the sixth-busiest holiday shopping day, eclipsed by Dec. 15 and Dec. 20-23.