Even though Concord Mills, a Simon Co. mall in North Carolina with more than 200 retailers, didn’t open its doors until 12 a.m. on Black Friday, many shoppers were ready long before the stroke of midnight.
Al Odom and his family arrived in Concord at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, barely leaving their digestive systems enough time to recover.
The Odom family, from Chapin, S.C., rented a room at the Residence Inn in Charlotte in preparation for the long day of shopping ahead. Weeks before most people had even begun planning their Thanksgiving menus, Odom knew exactly what he was going to purchase on Black Friday and exactly where he was going to get it.
The 50-year-old national director of Fishers of Men, a Christian ministry based in South Carolina, drove two and a half hours to stand in line outside of Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. His only goal was to walk out of the store with two Garmin GPS devices, one pair of waders, Under Armour athletic attire and all of his limbs attached.
Fortunately, his mission was easily accomplished. Unfortunately, this task only took a couple of hours to complete and Odom’s wife and two daughters were much more aimless in their venture. They were in for the long haul.
Though his family did not have a definite, predetermined list of items they intended to purchase, the Odoms, not unlike many other consumers, entered the Christmas shopping season with a strict budget in mind.
This shopping season, consumers may not have a difficult time adhering to their budgetary restraints, as many retailers have cut back inventory levels significantly. According to the National Retail Federation President and CEO Tracy Mullin, many retailers are curtailing inventory so as to avoid end-of-season markdowns that eat away at potential profits.
“Once the most popular items are gone, retailers won’t have anywhere to get them, so if there was ever a holiday season to buy early, this is it,” Mullin says.
Retailers are estimating that while more people will be out shopping this holiday season, they will be spending less money than they did the previous year. According to Taubman Centers Inc, an investment trust that owns 24 malls across the nation, traffic increased approximately 10 percent from last year.
However, the average consumer is planning to spend 3.3 percent less than they did in 2008. This translates to an estimated 1 percent drop in total retail sales.
With more traffic and seemingly better deals, many consumers, like Odom, were concerned they would not be able to get what they wanted.
Odum called the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World manager shortly after they opened at midnight to inquire about how many Garmin GPS devices they had in stock. After speaking with him, Odom felt safe to sleep through the night and return to the mall at 6 a.m.
“There is nothing that I want at midnight,” Odom said when asked why he didn’t elect stand in the line at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World with the hundreds of other shoppers.
Fortunately, Odom was able to get the two Garmin GPS systems he wanted. The store had more than 250 in stock.
Testimonies such as Odom and his family have led to the widespread belief that Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year. This misconception is no doubt the result of the large crowds and discounts offered by retailers.
Many people, like Wayne Godwin, a 52-year-old truck driver from Charlotte, head to the mall for the scenery. Godwin spent most of his afternoon sitting outside of various stores waiting for his son to complete his shopping. Godwin lasted the entire afternoon without making a single purchase. As he says, “I just like to sit and watch.”
Historically, Black Friday does not even rank among the top three biggest shopping days of the year. The top spot usually goes to the Saturday before Christmas Day.
Godwin, like most men his age, will likely complete his holiday shopping the weekend before Christmas or online when he has a few spare moments.
