Photos
Blog
NewslettersDiscounts likely to last through December
mcovington@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5502
Shoppers came out in force at retailers nationwide during Black Friday weekend, but stores looking to clear inventory likely will keep pushing deep discounts through December.
E-Mail it
Print it
tool name
closeAlso in this section
That means bargain hunters will see more big markdowns this holiday season -- in stores and online, said National Retail Federation spokesperson Kathy Grannis.
"Retailers understand that consumers are very budget-focused this year and will continue to promote discounted apparel, toys and electronics," Grannis said.
Many national chain retailers, including Walmart, will release official sales reports Thursday and declined to detail their Black Friday weekend sales until then.
But Chris Hooper, store services manager at Beaufort's Best Buy, said his store did well on the weekend. Sales were particularly high on Nintendo Wii game systems, computers and televisions, he said.
"It was a success, as always," Hooper said. "It was what we expected."
Friday at Belk, Beaufort shoppers snatched up 250 free promotional gift cards in the first 30 minutes the store was open, store manager Ginger Olszewski said. The rush lasted through the weekend on clothing, jewelry and shoes.
"We do tend to offer continued holiday promotions throughout the season," Olszewski said.
Many flocked to Bluffton's Target store for LCD TVs, digital cameras and the Ripstik skateboard, said manager Gary Tomlin. About 500 people lined up before the store opened at 6 a.m. Friday, he said.
Tanger Outlet Center general manager Beth Hilton said merchants have aggressively promoted sales since the summer and will continue to do so for the holidays. Traffic numbers at Tanger, which opened at 12:01 a.m. Friday, were higher this weekend than at the same time last year, she said. Hilton declined to give specific numbers.
More than 172 million shoppers visited stores and Web sites over the holiday weekend, according to a survey released by the NRF Sunday afternoon. The average customer spent $372.57, up 7.2 percent from last year's $347.55.
The NRF estimates about $41 billion was spent nationwide between the day after Thanksgiving and Sunday.
Though stores performed better than expected during the weekend, total sales for the holiday season likely will be lower than ever, said Phyllis Isley, director of the Bureau of Business Research and Economic Development at Georgia Southern University in Savannah.
The bureau has performed surveys of Savannah-area and Lowcountry consumers for the past six years. Its 2008 study showed local shoppers are concerned about the economy and unemployment in the region and plan to spend $30 to $50 less on each person on their gift list this year.
Shoppers will spend more on durable goods, such as televisions and computers, Isley said.
"They're going to be shopping on very good deals for very good products," she said of Lowcountry consumers. "Portions of the market will hold up as long as consumers see they're getting a very high-value product at a reasonable price."
@Nyx.CommentBody@