BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPERS TO HIT STORES IN DARK.Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer On Black Friday Black Friday, Sept. 24, 1869, in U.S. history, day of financial panic. In 1869 a small group of American financial speculators, including Jay Gould and James Fisk, sought the support of federal officials of the Grant administration in a drive to corner the gold , it's the lazy shoppers who venture out at dawn. The retail world is feeling optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op going into the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, nicknamed for its historical ability to push stores into profitability. But to ensure they get price-conscious shoppers excited early on, stores are taking no chances and casting open their doors at hours normally reserved for dreaming. While shops have opened in the wee hours in recent years, this year some have pushed it to the extreme. ``Customers were showing up earlier and earlier,'' said Michele Rothstein, senior vice president for Chelsea Property Group, which owns the Camarillo Premium Outlets. ``If you opened at 5 a.m., they came at 4. If you opened at 4 a.m., they came at 3.'' And thus it adopted one of the boldest strategies for dealing with the crush of crowds on Friday: 40 of its stores will open at midnight and stay open for 24 hours Adv. 1. for 24 hours - without stopping; "she worked around the clock" around the clock, round the clock . After that full day of sales, shops will then pull a 14- hour shift Saturday and another 11 hours on Sunday. With hours like that, the Disney Store's 4 a.m. Friday opening seems relaxed, while the workers at Fry's Electronics Fry's Electronics is a specialty retailer of software, consumer electronics, computer hardware and household appliances with a chain of superstores headquartered in Silicon Valley. Starting with one store located in Sunnyvale, California, USA, the chain now boasts sales of $2. and KB Toys K•B Toys (previously known as Kay Bee Toys) is a chain of mall-based retail toy stores in the United States. It was founded in 1922 by the Kaufman brothers. It currently operates 605 stores in 44 U.S. states, Puerto Rico as well as Guam. who will get a 5 a.m. kickoff can enjoy a relatively leisurely start. Gimmicks like this, as well as the promise of a free trinket or killer deal on a television, will rule the day. Wal-Mart is offering free breakfast for shoppers who brave the lines to get into its Sam's Club Sam's Club is a membership-only warehouse club owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. History The first Sam's Club opened in April 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma in the United States.[1] Sam's Club is named after Sam Walton. stores at 5 a.m. Target, which is waiting until the late hour of 6 a.m., promises pre-recorded wake-up calls from country picker Brad Paisley or Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet who was first introduced in 1955 and is one of puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous and beloved creations. Kermit was performed by Henson until his death in 1990. Since then, he has been performed by Steve Whitmire. to shake consumers from their slumber. Opening the doors early and dangling a deal or two won't make much difference in a holiday season where shoppers will likely spend more than $430 billion, which the National Retail Federation marks as a 6 percent hike from last year. But starting things off on a bad note with the 130 million shoppers expected to turn out this weekend would be a major misstep, so stores do their best to trump their rivals with outlandish promotions. ``It's not a question of is it worthwhile, it's a question of I cannot afford not to,'' said Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard's Retail Consulting Group. ``Everyone wants to be the first, with the biggest sale. You want to have your doors open when everyone else is shut. You cannot let your competitor get the best of you.'' That's why Tracy Modrell will shake off the peaceful cover of sleep at 2 a.m. and arrive at the Northridge Disney Store by 3. As the store's assistant manager, she'll meet up with 15 to 20 workers who'll survive on leftover energy until the coffee shop across the way mercifully mer·ci·ful adj. Full of mercy; compassionate: sought merciful treatment for the captives. See Synonyms at humane. mer opens up. ``That early in the morning, you're going to have a lot of people, so it'll get pretty crazy,'' Modrell said, following with a hint of a nervous laugh. ``It's the most exciting day of the year for us. Everyone's getting pumped.'' Brent Hopkins, (818) 713-3738 brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Tracy Modrell stocks the shelves of the Disney Store in Northridge, where she'll report for work at 3 a.m. on Friday. Michael Owen
Box: Mall madness Mall Madness is a board game released by Milton Bradley in 1988, re-released as Electronic Mall Madness in 1990, and re-released with updated artwork in 2006. Players set up a two-story mall, and receive money to shop for 6 things on their shopping lists. SOURCE: Daily News research Daily News |
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