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Black Friday Sequel Falls Flat

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By RUSSELL RAY

rray@tampatrib.com

Published: December 27, 2008

TAMPA - Plenty of bargains and discounts were awaiting customers early Friday morning, but the crowds retailers were hoping for didn't materialize.

At WestShore Plaza, a few shoppers were found in the predawn hours at Macy's and JCPenney, but traffic was light, and the parking lots were virtually empty. The shopping crowd picked up later, but never reached Black Friday proportions.

Freddye Hudson and her daughter Erika Salter were among the few to arrive early at Macy's.

"We wanted to catch a suit sale," Hudson said.

Suits weren't the only item on their list.

"You see some cool stuff that people bought for Christmas," Salter said. "We're out here looking for those things, too."

Nick and Kimberly Johnston of Tampa walked out of Best Buy with what they described as a great deal on a Canon digital camera.

"This is 30 percent off what it would normally be," Nick said.

Many retailers opened before 6 a.m., offering 50 percent to 75 percent off on toys, furniture, electronics and clothing. JCPenney stores opened at 5:30 a.m. - the earliest post-Christmas opening in the chain's history - and offered customers more than 100 "doorbusters" until 1 p.m, including 75 percent off Christmas decorations. The chain even made wake-up calls to customers who signed up online.
Holiday foods and Christmas items were hot sellers at the Super Target on Dale Mabry Highway in south Pasco County and at the Dillard's at International Plaza in Tampa, with customers taking advantage of deep discounts. Traffic at the stores seemed brisk by late morning.

With gift card sales down this holiday season and consumers looking to save money rather than spend it, even the big discounts may not be enough to salvage what looks to be one of the most dismal holiday shopping seasons in years.

"The last week of December represents about 14 percent of Christmas sales," said America's Research Group Chairman C. Britt Beemer. "You can't save a season with only one-seventh of the sales to go."

The holiday season - which typically accounts for 30 percent to 50 percent of a retailer's annual total sales - has been less than jolly for most retailers. Job cuts, portfolio losses and other economic woes have persuaded consumers to cut back on their spending. Meanwhile, strong winter storms during the holiday season kept some would-be shoppers at home.

According to preliminary data from SpendingPulse - a division of MasterCard Advisors that tracks total sales paid for by credit card, checks and cash - retail sales fell between 5.5 percent and 8 percent during the holiday season compared with 2007. Excluding auto and gas sales, retail sales fell 2 percent to 4 percent, according to SpendingPulse.

Online retailer Amazon.com said Friday that the 2008 holiday season was its "best ever," with more than 6.3 million items ordered. Holiday bestsellers included the Nintendo Wii, Samsung's 52-inch LCD HDTV, the Apple iPod touch and the Blokus board game.

A better indicator of how retailers fared will be announced Jan. 8, when major stores report same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, for December.

Reporter Rich Shopes contributed to this report. Information from The Associated Press also was used.

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