Retailers brace for Black Friday surge

Ornaments grace the lower level of Tysons Corner Mall for the holiday shopping season: Photo by Elena Glenn for the American ObserverBlack Friday awakens sleeping cities in the midnight hours after Thanksgiving.  It’s a tradition of sorts, as strangers make huddled conversation over hot cocoa in 30-degree weather, in the ordinarily silent hours.

“I am usually pretty excited about Black Friday.  I usually round up a few people…strategically hit up stores by doing recon on lines works out well,” said Sohaib Qadir, a Gainesville, Va., resident.  “I love sales at Express and the Gap and Macys.  They usually give out free gifts as well, can’t beat a pair of free lounge pants!”

A surge in Black Friday shoppers, is expected this year, as consumers scrounge for bigger deals.  Projected sales this holiday season, are expected to fall between 2.5 and 4.5 percent from 2008, according to a recent study by America’s Research Group, a consumer behavior research company.

Even as Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, declared an end to the recession in September, consumers are still facing financial difficulties, as the national unemployment rate reached 10.2 percent in October, the highest since April 1983, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Despite the nation's slow economic recovery, peppermint mochas, mistletoe, scarves, wintry mixes, unwrapping gifts with family and friends and beating through frantic crowds on Black Friday continues to be a staple of the all-American holiday season.String lights and bows adorn Tysons Corner Mall in preparation for the holidays: Photo by Elena Glenn for the American Observer

“I am an impulse buyer, and if I see anything remotely close to being on sale, I tend to buy it.  Black Fridays are perfect for that,” Qadir said.

Shoppers waking up at 3 a.m. to stand in long lines in the freezing cold outside Best Buy for that $10 Sex and the City DVD and that new $100 digital camera, all the while hoping not to get trampled by the crowd are all a part of the festivities.

Laid off from his graphic design job at a civil engineering company in Northern Va., last February, Jhon Dearce, a Falls Church, Va., resident, still considers Black Friday a worthwhile event. 

“I usually go shopping with my mom, so I still enjoy getting up early and helping my mom find the things she wants,” Dearce said.  “We usually get up at 4 a.m. to make the big sales.”

A Virginia Beach native, and part of a military family, Dearce’s Black Friday shopping means a trip home and shopping at the military base’s Navy Exchange where clothes, electronics, shoes, toys and other items are already 20 percent off mall prices, Dearce said.

Signs of slow economic recovery are still abound in the district.  Black Friday usually coincides with D.C’s tax-free holiday, enticing shoppers.  The holiday was repealed this year though, in an effort to save money, according to the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue. 

Although the D.C. metropolitan area only saw a 6.2 percent unemployment rate, one of the lowest jobless rates in the nation in September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, residents are still worried.

On Black Friday I “kind of spoil myself, but that’s why I work right,” Qadir said.  “However, unlike years past, I am somewhat uncertain about my financial future.  I think I would be less likely to buy things, but there’s no telling.”

In recent years, Leesburg Outlet in Leesburg, Va., has been infamous for its midnight Black Friday deals.  This year though, Tysons Corner Mall in McLean, Va., and Walmart stores, have hopped onto the midnight train.

Every modern adults' dream of getting-locked-overnight-in-a-Best-Buy-or-Walmart dream come true.Pine trees, string lights, fake snow and ornaments adorn holiday displays on the lower level of Tysons Corner Mall: Photo by Elena Glenn for the American Observer

Walmart plans to open for 24 hours on Thanksgiving Day in an attempt to ease Black Friday crowds, in light of the death of a security guard at a Long Island Walmart last year.  The doorbuster sales won’t be available until 5 a.m. though.

Tysons plans to open at midnight on Black Friday this year, providing guests with gift card raffles every hour, between midnight and 5 a.m., as well as complimentary breakfast, treats, coffee and hot chocolate in the VIP Pajama Lounge.  Santa will also be in tow at the midnight madness.

Urban Outfitters has had a hiring goal of 125 new employees for the holiday season.  Ann Taylor has been preparing their stores for weeks for the crowds, said sales associate Mardy Ky.

“We wanted to have a party and just have fun with the holiday shopping citizen and kicking it off,” said Allison Fischer, spokesperson for Tysons Corner Center, in a phone interview.  “We know that value matters this year…we think it’ll be attractive to our guests, an experience that won’t be expected to be forgotten quickly.”

An increase in sales revenue is not expected this year, Fischer said.

Spending is expected to drop, with 30 percent of consumers expected to spend less compared to 2008, according to a survey of U.S. consumer intentions by the NPD Group, a leading provider of consumer and retail market research.

For those, too cozy in bed to venture out into the cold, a slew of online deals on Web sites such as Amazon, Target and Best Buy, are offering deals the entire week of Thanksgiving.

Last year, the Metro opened at 4 a.m., an hour early for Black Friday festivities.  The schedule for this year is not available yet.