Sam’s Club, a subsidiary of the retail giant, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) expresses optimism about the upcoming “Blitz” Friday aka Black Friday. In an interview with Reuters, Doug McMillon, CEO Sam’s Club said:
"In the past few weeks, people have been waiting for (Black) Friday and the prices that they're going to see between now and Christmas,…We're going to have enough to take care of blitz morning,"
Due to the ongoing financial crisis, people are not so much excited. The 2008 Holiday season will be the worst for retailers in the last two decades. The October retailers report showed a disastrous result for the retailers. Consumers have become frugal. However, Mr. McMillon sees this as an opportunity for higher sales. He said, shoppers who are now coming to their stores are waiting for Black Friday when product prices will go down. On Black Friday, Sam’s Club will open up at 5 a.m. and offer shoppers free breakfast. Mr. McMillon said that the main advantage of Sam’s Club is that it is a big box retailer and comes with a wide range of products. This is why people would come to their stores.
Mr. McMillon predicts that consumer electronics such as digital cameras, camcorders, and Blackberry smartphone are going to be the top favorites among shoppers. If you are still not interested then here is a motivator for you: Sam’s Club is going to offer Wii Fit video game for under $79.
Mashed potatos+Turkey = Incomplete Black Friday. So, what more do you need to add in the equation? Yes, Black Friday, the official day to kick start holiday shopping. Over the years, Black Friday has achieved special status among shoppers for getting deep discounts and door buster deals. This year, the retailers are giving more discounts and door buster deals to attract more shoppers. The economic crisis, fuel price rise have made shoppers reconsider and reorganize their shopping plans. Retailers are afraid of poor sales. Los Angeles Times:
This year, however, fewer consumers are in the mood to shop and retailers have been slashing prices for weeks in the hopes of boosting sales. This month alone, luxury retailers Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue have held massive sales, with many items 40% to 70% off, while discounters such as Kmart have offered "early Black Friday" specials on toys and other merchandise.
side from discounts, retailers are going for early openings; as early as midnight. Walt Disney, KB Toys will open up their stores at 12 a.m. Along with door buster deals, discounts, shoppers will also get perks such as free parking. If you are one of those shoppers who enjoy shopping in stores then Black Friday 2008 is your best time. Wish you all good luck in DEAL HUNTING!
Already I wrote about plumber’s Black Friday. Like shoppers and retailers plumbers run around the town instead of enjoying meals with their families because it is their earning season. Unfortunately, the plumbing and cleaning service personals believe that the ongoing economic crisis will affect their business. If you are one of those who do not want to spend extra money on plumbers then here are some tips for you:
Do not clean those oils on your plates with water. They clog the pipe by solidifying. Wipe the oily pots and plates with towels and throw them in trash and then clean them.
Do not throw away fibrous waste, poultry skins, celery, fruit and potato peels into the disposal because they can not sufficiently grind them.
Do not wait to fill up your disposal before turning on.
Wait ten minutes between showers. It would give time for the slow drains to clear water.
Do not flush cotton balls, swabs, hair, facial scrub pads in the toilet.
In order to avoid extra holiday service charge call a plumber before the holidays.
If you do not have time or money to call a plumber then buy a CLR Power Plumber from Jelmar. A pressurized drain opener the power plumber will clear your drains in seconds. You do not need to use any acids, additives or lye. Hence, it is environmentally safe.
For the shoppers enjoyment on “Black Friday,” the Frankfort Avenue Trolley Service at Louisville is going to have a special service on November 28, 2008. Typically, the Frank Fort Avenue Trolley Service runs in the evenings on the last Friday every month. On November 28, 2008, for the holiday shoppers, the trolley will run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. This has been decided by the Frankfort Avenue Business Association. bizjournals.com reports:
The free trolley service, operated by Transit Authority of RiverCity, typically runs in the evenings on the last Friday of every month. But on Nov. 28, trolleys will run from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and most stores along the route will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the Frankfort Avenue Business Association.
The Frankfort Avenue Trolleys run from Johnston Street in Butchertown to Frankfort and Stilz avenues. On their way they stop near shops, restaurants and galleries at Frankfort, Mellwood and Story avenues.
The Pier Shops, the famous Atlantic city shopping mall, in collaboration with Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. is offering “Caesars Passport to Indulgence” to “Total Reward Members.” Using these passports, members can enjoy a private one hour shopping prior to public opening from November 28th to November 30th, 2008. In addition, they will get discounts in all the shops at other Pier Shops and restaurants.
If you are a regular shopper at The Pier Shops and has not become a “Total Reward Member,” you can get them for free. All you have to do is sign up at the “TotalRewardsCenter” in any one of the four Harrah’s Entertainment casinos. On November 28, 2008, The Pier Shops will open up at 8 a.m. for “Total Reward Members” and at 9 a.m. for general public. On the next two days, The Pier Shops will open up at 9 a.m. for “Total Reward Members” and 10 a.m. for general people. “Total Reward Members” can use their passports any time during these three days. For more information, visit the following links:
The way it looks, the coming Black Friday is not going to be a shopping festival but a desperate effort to sale as many products as possible on the retailer’s part and getting the best deal on buyers part. Yes, it is a war front and the million dollar question is: “Are you ready to put down your fork on the Thanksgiving Day and endure the chilling cold and stand the long queue in front of retail stores to get the best product at a deep discount?”
First of all, retailers have turned the day after Thanksgiving into a national holiday. They are offering great deals on technology products as they are expected to be the top favorite on Black Friday 2008. However, these products will be “hard to find” and they are limited.
In order to get the products you want, you need to do little bit of research by going through various Black Friday websites such as, Bfads.net,
Black-Friday.net, Fat Wallet.com. You should remember that information in these websites is not very much reliable. Retailers can change every thing at the last moment.
The second step is to look into the retail stores and see what products they have and where they are located. You can shop in groups to cover more stores. If you are looking for one particular product you can take another person who will stand at the check out line. You can also have another person at home who will be sitting in front of the computer and keep you updated with last minute deals.
If you are not ready to go through all these hassles, then you should wait for the “Cyber Monday.” You will get the same discount like "Black Friday" but you will not get those “door buster deals.”
Boscov's, one of the last family owned department store chains in USA, is hoping to open up its 39 stores before “Black Friday.” The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2008. Out of its total 49 stores, it will have to sell 10 stores. On November 18, 2008, a court hearing was held which cleared major obstacles for the buyout. The regional department store chains which were supposed to be sold to Versa - Capital Management, Inc., a Philadelphia-based private equity firm, for $11 million, will now be bought by Albert R. Boscov, son of the Boscov’s founder, Solomon Boscov, and his brother-in-law, Edwin Lakin. They collected around $300 million from their friends and families. A final sale order will be issued by the court on November 21, 2008. After this, everything will be finalized by November 26, 2008Philly.com reports:
"That's enough to convince the court that we're for real," the retail hound from Reading said with a smile. His spunk and legendary charm gushed as he fielded questions from a knot of reporters during a recess from the sale hearing - his first public remarks about a deal sure to leave the most savvy dealmakers in awe.
If Judge Gross signs off on the asset-purchase agreement at a hearing Friday, Boscov's Department Store L.L.C. and its 8,000 mostly regional employees will stay in business.
The ten stores which were bought by the executives in a move to expand Boscov’s business proved to be a burden for the company. In his testimony, Boscov’s financial adviser, J. Scott Victor, said that the Boscov’s has the capacity to bring in $12.7 million revenue in its first year compared to its 2007 loss. The main strength of the departmental store chains is its army of loyal customers. Many of the services offered by Boscov’s are not offered by stores anymore. Albert R. Boscov is hopeful that they are going to do great business in the coming “Black Friday.”
