Survived Black Friday?
November 30th, 2009 by CatFor the first time in years, I didn't hit the malls on Black Friday.
For starters, I wasn't on O'ahu, where the bulk of retail madness occurred. (I was in Kona, where residents did rush Walmart, Macy's and Target but not nearly in the frenzy as shoppers did in Honolulu.)
And secondly, I decided to be one of the millions of Americans who opted to do their Christmas shopping online today.
Yes, today is Cyber Monday, when folks browse the Internet — often at work — looking for the best online deals and discounts.
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, nearly 100 million shoppers are projected to hit the web today, topping the 85 million visitors last year.
I did some of my shopping online last year, which was convenient and quick. But there are some drawbacks to online shopping: 1) You can't touch, feel or gauge the choking potential of the stuff you're buying, 2) this year a lot of the best stuff is sold out already and 3) shipping to Hawai'i isn't cheap.
But online shopping — at least this year — seems like the better option. My mom tried to get to Ala Moana Center on Friday and couldn't find a parking stall anywhere. And friends of mine searched the aisles of every store, from Macy's to Best Buy to no avail. Most of the good stuff was gone.
Not that this frenzy is a bad thing. Martin's organization, a Chicago-based research firm that tracks sales at more than 50,000 stores, showed that shoppers spent $10.66 billion on Black Friday, 0.5 percent more than last year when the economy wasn't as bad.
But the National Retail Federation reported that more people hit the malls but spent less. About 195 million shoppers visited stores and Web sites this weekend, up from 172 million last year. But the average spending dipped to $343.31 per person from $372.57 a year ago.
So did you brave the crowds this weekend? Or are you logging onto your computers now to find deals online?
Got any tips?
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Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.
Tags: Ala Moana Center, Black Friday, Christmas, Cyber Monday, economy, hawaii, holiday, National Retail Federation, retail, sales, shopping, toth
November 30th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Good morning Cat!
I had to work on Black Friday but my wife went shopping. She came home with a whole car load of stuff.
November 30th, 2009 at 6:18 am
Go to a mall on Black Friday? I'd rather scrape my corneas with kim chi!
November 30th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Hi Cat. u sure did alot of research for this article.Quite commendable.I like to play the theme from Mission Impossible while i participte in Cyber Monday.Helps to get me in that "find the best deal" frame of mind. As for Black Friday ,aside from having an Al Bundy "Death Cart" barreling down the store's aisles,i dont think there's any real advantage.Cheers
November 30th, 2009 at 7:07 am
I slipped into Ala Moana on Friday and Saturday when the shopping madness took a short break, and it was easier to get parking and cash out at the register. It wasn't busier than the average weekend, and got to cash in some of those coupons...
November 30th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Hmmm, I missed it here in Northeast Ohio. I hear the same complaints here that you hear there especially with Best Buy. Our Macy's here used to be a chain called Kaufman's. Macy's went low end when they bought Kaufmans out. Much better stuff is available here at Dillards which is comparable but carries much better stuff. Am kinda going the gift card route anyway wrt to presents. Parking at Ala Moana was bad when I left Hawai'i almost five years ago. Imagine it is probably tougher now. But, then you don't have to contend with snow and ice in the parking lots. Oh well, I much prefer the after Christmas sales anyway.
November 30th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Braved Ala Moana.
Was very very busy, no parking as forecasted, and I KNOW all the hidden places where to park too.
But it was crowded till 1300. Once the sales are pau, there is a mad rush towards the cars, and a secondary jam of trying to get out of the parking lot. After that, parking is wide open.
November 30th, 2009 at 8:31 am
No job, no money, no comment
November 30th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Awww, Scott, am feeling bad now. Hope things get better soon, real soon.
November 30th, 2009 at 8:57 am
I went to Ala Moana on Black Friday. The parking was pretty bad at 6:30 a.m., but at least there still was parking at the time. To tell you the truth, I found better deals at the Island Expo craft fair at the Blaisdell. During these tough economic times, I think it does help to buy local, so I picked up rice bag shorts for an uncle and some gifts made with washi paper for his wife.
If you like giving really "local" gifts, you should definately check out a craft fair. The craft fairs at Kapiolani Community College and Moanalua High School are the best.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Went to Ala Moana this weekend solely to eat (CPK). Parking was wide open in the late-afternoon/early-evening.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Wonder why they call it Black Friday, when businesses do poorly during the regular week? Sell things cheaper on the weekend. Businesses don't do that well and stay between Black and Red. I would consider this to be a Brown Friday, barely making ends meet.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Catherine E. Toth: Are you saying that people peruse the internet during work hours? I, for one, am shocked.
December 1st, 2009 at 12:28 am
Spent the weekend in the woods, opening of deer season in MD. Never did see a buck. So i missed all the shopping. Just read Friday's Fuud, lookds like you had a great thanksgiving and you've finally found a keeper.
December 24th, 2009 at 8:27 am
I myself am a Walmart shopper (regularly!) and I just tried an offer that I found online to get a giftcard. There were a few hoops to jump through but in the end I got a $500 gift card (took me about 1.5 hours). I'm a regular reader and saw you wrote about Walmart so I thought I'd share with you and you're readers. Hopfully everyone else can have the same experience I did this holiday season!