Where Does Fashion Fit in Black Friday?
Black Friday has been called the Super Bowl of shopping. But is the Friday after Thanksgiving, the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season, specifically a fashion event?
Yes and no, according to retailers and Wall Street analysts. The crowds of shoppers lining up at malls typically were attracted by the huge promotions for electronics such as MP3 players, not for fashion.
The one-day sales event did not register much effect on fashion boutiques such as Los Angeles–based Diane Merrick. Instead, sales jumped at the contemporary boutique a couple of days after Black Friday, when temperatures began to cool from the November’s Indian summer–like conditions, said Kathy Shawver, a partner and buyer for Diane Merrick. “We don’t have a Black Friday,” she said. “We can’t compete with the huge sales.”
Many mall-based specialty stores sought to take advantage of the huge shopping center crowds by offering huge promotions on Black Friday. Teen retailer Aeropostale, for example, offered 50 percent discounts at the Glendale Galleria, according to Janet LaFevre, senior marketing manager of the shopping center, based in Glendale, Calif.
LaFevre estimated that mall traffic jumped more than 20 percent over the 2005 Black Friday. While Black Friday shoppers came from all walks of life, LaFevre said, “It’s probably the majority of people who love fantastic bargains” who packed the shopping centers. “Then there are the people who love the game. They want to take part in the Super Bowl of shopping.”
Nationally, retail sales increased 2.6 percent for the week ending Nov. 25, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, based in New York. But the gains also reflected a little weakness. Sales slipped 0.4 percent from the previous week.
ICSC economist Michael Niemira forecast that sales for the Christmas retail season would increase a solid 5 percent. Online shopping channels were forecast to experience an even bigger jump. Bostonbased Jupiter Research said that e-commerce stores were going to see an 18 percent jump in sales during the holiday season. The sales began on the Monday after Thanksgiving, which has been nicknamed Cyber Monday.
Mary Helen Shashy, co-owner of Los Angeles–based e-commerce fashion boutique Hotter Than Hollywood, said that Cyber Monday lived up to its hype. Orders on Monday, Nov. 27, spiked after a very good Thanksgiving weekend. Yet she forecast her sales in January would be bigger. “That’s when our customers go from buying for other people back to buying for themselves,” Shashy said. —Andrew Asch
