Retailers starting to recoup losses
CITYWIDE — Black Friday proved to be a bit gray, with most local retailers reporting a modest boost in sales over the holiday weekend, but nothing that exceeded expectations.
Retailers nationwide saw a 6-percent growth in sales on “Black Friday” — so-called because the day after Thanksgiving is when businesses tend to begin making profits to compensate for financial losses sustained earlier in the year — as compared to last year, bringing in an estimated $8.96 billion, according to ShopperTrak RCT, a Chicago-based company providing shopping traffic count information.
The growth in sales was felt among Santa Monica retailers, who reported making more transactions than on a typical non-holiday weekend.
“We were constantly very, very busy,” said Veruschka Restovic, an employee at Jane Smith, a women’s clothing store on Montana Avenue.
The store touted items on sale for between 30 and 40 percent off the original price. Because of its notoriety, Friday was busier than Saturday, said Restovic.
Rip Curl, a surf and skate clothing store on Third Street Promenade, experienced better sales on Saturday than during the same time period last year. However, Black Friday was less busy this year, said manager Amanda Adkins.
“Friday wasn’t anything special,”
Adkins said on Sunday. “We expect today to be better than last year [Sunday after Thanksgiving day].”
One reason why the store was more successful during last year’s Black Friday was because of the availability of winter items on sale. This year’s sale items consist mostly of fall items, Adkins said.
Just north, the women’s clothing store Kenzie met its goals for Black Friday and the holiday weekend, but assistant manager Paige Norton said she had hoped the store would do better.
“This is only our second year open so we’re just kind of feeling everything out,” Norton said on Sunday. “We did about the same this weekend as we did last year. We’re happy, but we could’ve done better.”
Other storeowners were oblivious to Black Friday, opting not to post any sale items. Christmas is the busiest time of the year for Virtual Snow on Pico Boulevard, a store specializing in ski simulators and high-end skis and snowboards, but storeowner Bob Salerno said Friday was just like any other day.
It was the same story for The Acorn Store on Fifth Street, a store specializing in wooden toys. Since prices are kept low all year round, there is no need for a special sale on Black Friday, said owner Ellen West on Sunday.
“My store is for creative play,” West said. “Everything is very different from the other toy stores.”
FEELINGS OF LISTLESSNESS Several consumers shopped over the weekend to complete their Christmas gift list before the malls become too overcrowded with last-minute shoppers.
“I wanted to get my shopping done early,” said Alex Sachs, of Los Angeles, as he shopped on Third Street Promenade on Sunday.
Sachs spent approximately $1,500 on gifts at The Grove on Friday and hopes to finish his shopping list within the next few days.
Not everyone was eager to go out on Black Friday, when some shoppers were out as early as 5 a.m., lining up for anticipated bargains.
“I don’t have a pressing need to go shopping that early,” said Linda Bieber of Woodland Hills. “It’s still November.”
Her mother, Pam Bieber, said she avoided the malls because of the overcrowded parking lots. Instead, the elder Bieber went to Costco, but not for Black Friday savings.
“We don’t get up early,” joked the elder Bieber. “We don’t fight for savings.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 27, 2006. Read the original PDF.