DOWNTOWN — Just call it “Gray Friday.”
Retailers here are reporting mixed results on the heels of “Black Friday” and the big holiday shopping weekend that typically follows Thanksgiving.
While some shopkeepers report sales revenues have increased from the same time last year, others contend it’s been a slow start.
Meanwhile, representatives from the Bayside District Corp. — a group which manages downtown commercial activity in conjunction with City Hall — said several events are on tap in December which will be geared for families shopping on the Promenade.
Among some of downtown’s winners over the holiday weekend were the Puzzle Zoo at 1413 Third Street Promenade and the Giorgio Vasari men’s store, located on the same block.
Jay Demircift, owner of the Puzzle Zoo — which sells specialty games, toys and memorabilia — said sales have been up over the past several days compared to the same time last year. However, since the Puzzle Zoo does not typically run specials and did not do so during the holiday weekend, Demircift was hesitant to say what might have prompted the surge in business.
Representatives at Giorgio Vasari said sales on Black Friday and through the holiday weekend were up 30 percent from 2004, with window signs advertising discounts on the high-quality clothing they offer.
Such success in sales, however, may have been more of the exception than the norm.
Chris Masculino, who works full time at Quicksilver — a clothing store located across from the Puzzle Zoo — said sales were slower than what they had seen this time last year, despite the steps he says his company and other retailers on the Promenade have taken to drum up business.
“We offered a sale in which clothes were 40 percent off,” Masculino said. “I worked here this time last year, and although we had a lot of foot traffic coming to the store, we didn’t do as well.”
Shaun Lagadi, who manages the Puma store at 1350 Third Street, said his shop hasn’t been fairing as well as it has in previous years. Generally, however, he said sales have been good and attributed the weekend decline simply to bad weather.
“It was cold and a little rainy, so I think that had a lot do with it,” Lagadi said.
Some retailers located within Santa Monica Place mall reported a slower sales weekend than they expected.
Representatives from Forever 21, a women’s clothing store located on the second floor of the mall, said sales revenues on Black Friday and the rest of the weekend were worse than the same time last year.
Representatives from Bath & Body Works, a store which sells body care products and is located across from Forever 21, said they anticipated a better business weekend, especially considering ongoing promotions the store has been running.
One employee at Bath & Body Works, who wished to not be identified, said sales at some stores may not have reached expectations simply because people, anticipating huge crowds at the malls over the holiday weekend, might be shopping at other times when they expect traffic won’t be as bad.
While walk-in business may have been slower for some retailers, reports indicate online shopping may continue to grasp a larger share of shoppers. A recent news story published in CNN Money, a business news service, indicates Internet traffic among online retailers was up 35 percent on Cyber Monday, the online retail version of Black Friday, according to economists. The sharp spike in traffic was recorded by the Akami Net Usage Index for retail, which monitors aggregate web traffic to more than 100 web-based online sellers, including etoys.com and jcpenney.com.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 29, 2005. Read the original PDF.