Big day for serious shoppers, retailers

Black Friday is a huge deal for Rosalyn Jordan.

“It’s like my holiday. I don’t know if it’s really a holiday, but it is to me,” said Jordan, 28, of Fayetteville. “It’s better than my birthday.”

Every year since 2000, the accountant has planned an almost military assault on “Black Friday,” the legendary shopping day after Thanksgiving.

She saves, diets, fasts and maps out the day, all so that she can get the best deals on her wish list items.

She’s the kind of shopper retailers lure with “door buster” deals on Black Friday, such as low, low prices on DVD players, digital cameras and flat screen TVs.

But you have to be a competitive shopper to get those low prices. Often, stores have very limited quantities.

Jordan’s fail safe is that she knows the stores.

“I know the inside of the store, the layout, so I run to that department. I usually have myself on a timer,” she said.

This year, Black Friday is taking on more importance, as retailers have been one of the hardest hit sectors of the economic meltdown and malaise in the credit markets.

How many shoppers show up on Friday could determine which retailers go out of business come January. The International Council of Shopping Centers predicts that 148,000 stores could close in 2008 and 15 retail chains have already filed for bankruptcy.

Marketing professor Randy Stuart of Kennesaw State University thinks Friday could be called “Black” for another reason this year.

“Tell the ladies to put their black veils on. I think it’s going to be very depressing,” she said. She predicts a lot of window shoppers but quiet cash registers.

“Instead of moving most retailers from the red into the black, it’s going to feel more like going to a funeral,” said Stuart.

Some retailers make up to 40 percent of their annual profit in the fourth quarter. Black Friday usually is the kick-off.

Still, the National Retail Federation said last year 147 million shoppers spent the weekend after Thanksgiving shopping, spending an average of $347.44. Predictions this year call for 128 million people to shop, according to a survey BIGresearch conducted for the NRF.

Retailers are counting on people like Jordan to rush to the stores on Friday.

For her part, Jordan uses Black Friday to make purchases mainly for herself. (She likes to give gift cards for the holidays, she said, because people are so “picky.”)

Jordan’s tactics for Black Friday are almost a science.

She scours the ads that come out Thanksgiving day in the newspaper. She makes lists of the retailers that have what she wants, then compares prices to online retailers. Finally, she makes a map of the stores she’ll visit, followed by what she’ll get at each one.

On Thanksgiving Day, however, her voice was filled with disappointment.

“The sales are about the same as last year,” she said. “I thought it’d be a buyer’s market. I see it’s still a seller’s market right now.”

She thinks that the real sales and discounts could hit after Thanksgiving weekend. She might “hold back on getting the iPod Touch or Wii Fit to see how low their going to go.”

Nevertheless, a few things caught her eye. Prices on GPS systems, digital picture frames and digital cameras, she said, were very good.

She thinks she’ll try to hit the Fayette Pavilion Target first (it opens at 6 a.m., she’ll be in line by 4 a.m.), followed by Office Max.

Before she shops, she’ll compare Target’s Magellan GPS system ($99, down from $200), to Office Max’s TomTom (Black Friday price also $99). She said Office Max’s price on a digital picture frame was amazingly low ($39).

She’ll also compare Target’s Kodak digital camera ($89) to Office Max’s Olympus ($119).

Jordan has literally been preparing for months for Black Friday.

She’s saved $500 since July and been working out to get in shape (she’s lost 31 pounds since September). “That’s why I started working out too, so I can go a little bit faster,” she said. “I dropped some pounds because sometimes I do have to get on the floor and crawl.”

She even fasts the day before. She said she doesn’t want to eat anything heavy the day before shopping.

She described the time she dove on her knees to grab the last discounted DVD player at Target.

Was it worth it? The price tag says it all: $19.

TIPS FOR SHOPPING ON BLACK FRIDAY

Rosalyn Jordan, 28, of Fayetteville, has been shopping Black Friday sales since she was 20. And boy does she have skills. Take some tips from her on how to snag the deals and survive the day

> Eat a light meal before you go. She goes with a SlimFast shake to avoid bathroom breaks and stay light on her feet.

> Get in shape. This year, Rosalyn lost 31 pounds as part of her office’s biggest loser contest. But she’s glad that she’ll have more stamina to make a mad dash for that GPS system or weave in and out of carts.

> Leave the cart behind. She never gets a cart, but uses a basket instead. That way she can dart around the people with buggies.

> Bring sense of humor and make friends. She says it’s important to have a sense of humor while waiting in line.

> Shop alone. It’s faster, she said.

> Stay focused on your list. She budgets $500 and maps out her wants.

> Watch for thieves. Keep your packages in sight and take them home between stops if possible. Be sure windows and doors are locked. She uses blankets in her Toyota 4Runner to hide her packages.

> No large purses. Rosalyn straps a fanny pack on.

> Debit not cash. Pulling out a wad of cash draws attention to you, she says.

> Plan ahead and comparison shop. For electronics, she said, make sure it’s not cheaper online. Door buster deals are usually cheap.

TIPS FOR BUDGETING ON BLACK FRIDAY

Los Angeles accountant Michael Eisenberg, a member of the National Financial Literacy Commission, offers tips to saving your Benjamins on Black Friday.

> Develop a budget: Ideally one that fits your financial situation. (In other words, don’t try to keep up with the Joneses.) Then don’t stray from the amount you budgeted to spend.

> Cash is king: Many people overspend when they use credit cards. So use cash or debit cards instead if you can.

> Comparison shop: Make a holiday list, then be an educated shopper by comparing prices at stores, online or at discounters. Spending time to do this may save you a bundle.

> Discounters and coupons: Find “friends and family coupons” from some stores. Or shop early bird specials and discount hours (like Black Friday and Cyber Monday) to save cash.

> Learn how to save up: So many people don’t save at all, let alone for holiday gifts. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants want to help you save money. Learn how at: 360financialliteracy.org or feedthepig.org.