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Tuesday, 24 November, 2009 0:05 AM
Tips to Get
the Most Out of Black Friday and Cyber Monday
The
average consumer will spend $350 over Black Friday weekend
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
Prime
Outlets is located at 12240 S Beyer Rd. near I-75 in Birch Run,
Mich.
BIRCH
RUN, Mich. -- This
year's Black Friday is expected to be slower due to our nation's
struggling economy. Prices will be cut drastically on dozens of
products. The average consumer is expected to spend $350 over the
Black Friday weekend, according to the National Retail Federation.
Many outlet malls across the country will be opening at midnight
on the day after Thanksgiving. Wal-Mart has announced it will open
at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving and will stay open through Black Friday.
Meijer and Kmart will also be open for business on Thanksgiving
Day.
Toys
R Us will open at midnight on Black Friday, Old Navy will open at
3 a.m. Many stores such as GameStop, JCPenney, Kohl's, Parisian
and Sears will open at 4 a.m. Several other stores will open at
5 a.m. including Bed, Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Dick's Sporting
Goods, Macy's, Sam's Club and Target. Opening at 6 a.m. will be
Big Lots, Kmart, Lowe's, Office Depot, OfficeMax and Staples. ABC
Warehouse and Nordstrom will open at 8 a.m., Costco will open at
9 a.m.
All
other stores inside malls and shopping centers will open when the
mall opens. Briarwood Mall (Ann Arbor) opens at 5 a.m., Laurel Park
(Livonia) opens at 7 a.m., Southland Center (Taylor) opens at 6
a.m., Somerset Collection (Troy) opens at 8 a.m., Oakland Mall (Troy)
opens at 7 a.m., Northland Center (Southfield) opens at 8 a.m.,
The Mall at Partridge Creek (Clinton Township) opens at 8 a.m.,
Macomb Mall (Roseville) opens at 8 a.m., Lakeside Mall (Sterling
Heights) opens at 6 a.m., Fairlane Town Center (Dearborn) opens
at 7 a.m. and Eastland Center (Harper Woods) opens at 8 a.m.
First,
check some of the ads on one of the many Black Friday websites such
as bfads.net,
blackfriday.info,
black-friday.net,
blackfriday.com
and theblackfriday.com.
However, many of the websites could contain rumored information.
It is still a great place to get a general idea of the possible
deals. Since it is less than a week from Black Friday, some retailers
are already posting their day after Thanksgiving ads on their official
websites.
GPS devices
are expected to be priced extremely low on Black Friday and on Cyber
Monday. Some stores will be offering GPS devices for half off their
original retail price. Kmart is expected to sell TomTom ONE 130
devices for $79.99, Kohl's is going to sell a 3.5" GPA for
$69.99, Sears will sell a Garmin 205 and a Magellan RoadMate 1220
for $89.99, and Staples will offer a TomTom XL GPS for $99.99.
Kathy
Granis is the manager of media relations for the National Retail
Federation.
"We'll
see everything from high-end electronics to even high-end apparel
such as cashmere sweaters as we get closer to Black Friday,"
Granis said about this year's hot deals. "On Black Friday itself,
we'll see more items like digital cameras, toys, outerwear, even
home appliances."
Kmart and
Sears have been promoting early Black Friday sales over the last
few weeks. However, prices are predicted to be much lower on the
day itself. "I don't think the sales we are having now will
have any affect on Black Friday," the manager
of media relations for the National Retail Federation said.
"The deals
that are out there now are not the same as we are going to see on
Black Friday. Retailers are going to pull out all the stops for
their Black Friday promotions."
Granis said
that 80 percent of consumers will spend less this holiday season
when compared to last year. "Two thirds of American consumers
are affected by the economy somehow," the manager of media
relations for the National Retail Federation said.
There
are many things that shoppers should do to keep their purchases
safe.
"As
far as safety's concerned, coming prepared, having a list and knowing
ahead of time what the store is offering in terms of extra security
or early promotions," Granis said. "Keeping your bags
to yourself is probably one of the best ways. Never letting a friend
of family member watch your bags for you. They may accidentally
get distracted. Your belongings matter more to you than anybody
else. If you need to rent one of those buggies or carts that are
available in certain stores for 25 cents...as long as that's by
your side I think that's good to go."
Cyber Monday
(the Monday following Black Friday) is also expected to be a very
busy shopping day for many. For
a sneak peek at Cyber Monday deals, go to www.cybermonday.net
or www.bestcybermondaysales.com.
"Hundreds
of retailers are already gearing up for their online promotions
on Cyber Monday," the manager of media
relations for the National Retail Federation said. "We'll see
things from digital cameras to men's slippers to women's cashmere
sweaters. Those who shop online-only typically won't head out for
Black Friday. There's a good chance that the same amount of people
will shop both."
Tim
Burns is the public affairs director of the Better Business Bureau,
Eastern Michigan office.
"If
you're going to a physical location, be careful about where you're
parking," Burns said. "Make sure that you are parking
in an area that's lighted or that's in a visible view where people
can see your car and you so that no one can sneak up onto you or
onto your car. Next, you want to make sure to keep your items in
your trunk or somewhere hidden. People can do smash and grabs really
quickly and get into your car.
"When
making your purchases, what you should do is get your most expensive
stuff near the end of the day so that you have that with you when
you're leaving. It's not left in your car where there's easy access
for someone to break in and steal it."
Burns said
shoppers should not carry four or five bags at once -- instead,
bargain hunters should put one or two bags away in the car then
return to the mall and continue shopping.
"Target
things at the lower end of your price scale at the beginning of
the day," the
public affairs director of the Better Business Bureau, Eastern Michigan
office said. "Make a couple of trips out until you get to the
most expensive stuff at the end of the day. Make a quick, direct
route to your car. Don't linger around, look like you could be a
victim, be confident, put the stuff in an area where it's not easily
seen. If you're making multiple trips with a couple of items, it's
not going to make as much attention as someone carrying a bunch
of bags in and out."
Burns said
that women should keep their purse close to their body and men should
keep their wallet in their front pocket.
"If
you have your keys ready to go, there's not any time jingling or
trying to focus to get to your car," the
public affairs director of the Better Business Bureau, Eastern Michigan
office said. "Come out with your keys, you're ready to put
it in, there's less time where you're distracted or you're eyes
are away from the area around you. You want to get in your car quickly,
get the car started and lock your doors once you're in there so
you can get away. If you're juggling and looking for your keys,
that's easier for someone to come up and approach you and maybe
do a crime or something that's not in your best interest."
Burns
also said that consumers should closely read return and exchange
policies at all stores. Some stores may not accept returns or exchanges
without a receipt and there is no federal or state law that mandates
it. Electronics that are returned may come with a restocking fee.
Burns said to also watch out for phishing scams when shopping online.
Always shop at websites that have an "https" at the beginning
of the web address when making an online transaction. Also look
for the BBB online seal, a physical address and phone number on
shopping websites. Purchases should be made with credit cards or
PayPal instead of debit cards, since debit transactions come directly
out of a bank account.
Phil Whitsel
is the marketing manager of Prime Outlets at Birch Run.
Some of
the stores at the outlet mall will be open as early as 10 or 11
p.m. on Thanksgiving evening. Nearby restaurants will also be open
for those shoppers who are looking to get an extra head start this
year.
Shoppers
can go to primeoutlets.com/holiday and click on "Birch Run"
to print off a list of all the Black Friday deals.
"You
can download all of the offers that we have going right now,"
the marketing manager said. "In addition to that, we will be
updating that every couple of days until the event. Make sure to
go back and check on it from time to time. Find out if your favorite
store has been added if they're not already there."
Some of
the hottest deals are expected to be at Aeropostale, AK Anne Klein,
Banana Republic, Clarks Bostonian, Dickie's, Guess, Jones New York,
Wilsons Leather and Van Heusen.
The first
500 shoppers in line at the outlet center information store who
are wearing their pajamas and over the age of 16, will receive a
free gift bag. It will include special edition Jockey sleepwear
and other free items.
"Winners
must be 16 years of age to be eligible," Whitsel explained.
"We actually have a ladies pajama top that is provided by Jockey.
It's an exclusive top, you can't find it in any store. There is
also going to be a coupon inside the bag for Jockey that you can
take and get some slippers to go with it."
Dickie's
is offering a free $10 gift card to the first 100 customers. Oops!
Outlet is offering a free fabric tote bag to the first 50 customers.
The first 100 customers at VF outlet will receive a free $5 gift
card. DressBarn outlet is giving away a free 3-piece cosmetic bag
set with any purchase of $50 or more from midnight to 6 a.m. on
Friday.
Click
here to download and print Black Friday weekend
deals at Prime Outlets Birch Run. (PDF)
Related
Story: Prime
Outlets Birch Run to open at midnight on Black Friday with free
gift bag offer
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
Prime
Outlets Birch Run will be the first stop for many shoppers on Black
Friday.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
Aeropostale
is expected to be one of the busiest stores at Prime Outlets Birch
Run on Black Friday weekend.
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