READY, SET, SHOP!
Local Sharon Cornair has a strategy for handling Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and one of the biggest shopping days of the year: Pay someone a hundred bucks to brave the crowds for you.
But that goes against the spirit of the day, which is all about finding the best deals. So those of you planning to hit the stores Friday need a different kind of strategy, one that will enable you to increase your odds of landing exactly what you want with as little hassle as possible.
If you've shopped on Black Friday -- so named because it's traditionally the day retailers move from the "red" into the "black" -- you know what to expect. Like Kaela Duran, 22. Her first shopping expedition on the day after Thanksgiving was two years ago. Her motives were purely selfish: She and a friend went to stock up on $10 CDs. Now, Duran goes to take advantage of the savings for Christmas gifts.
"If you're determined to get what you want, you better make an effort to go as early as possible," says Duran, who was in line at 5 a.m. last year. "We'll even go in our pajamas."
The atmosphere is frenetic on Black Friday; forget pushing a cart.
"You take a couple of people with you and grab what you can. People just run crazy," Duran says.
Her strategy: Pick up today's newspaper and scour the ads, making a list of what she wants to buy and where she'll find the best deal. Get up earlre y Friday, based on store hours. Grab a friend, then head out. Park as far away from the store as possible so she's close to the exit when it comes time to leave.
"You have to go with at least one person, someone to wait with you and keep you company," Duran says.
In the past, she has taken several people so they could take turns standing in line. One person waits while the others relax in the car.
Sosa Barrett, 27, takes her mother and several cousins with her when she shops on Black Friday. It's a family tradition. They take a detailed approach to their outing, Barrett says, starting with checking the Thanksgiving Day newspaper ads in Utah (where her family lives) and deciding where to shop.
Electronics and kids' toys are at the top of her list; she buys for several nieces and nephews ages 1 to 10.
The more people you can take with you, the easier things are, she says. Her family may divide the list and assign individuals to secure certain items or they may take the team approach to ensure they get that one great sale, such as last year's television.
RC Willey offered a 47-inch digital television for $700, she recalls. To make sure they got one, Barrett and her family stationed two people at one door and two at another. When the store opened, they ran flat-out to the television. A salesman had promised to hold one for them but they had to get there immediately on opening.
It helps to know the layout of the stores you plan to visit, because it makes it easier to navigate the crowds, she adds. Check store Web sites for indoor maps.
Most of Barrett's strategies have been developed through trial and error, she says, such as the year the family learned to assign one person to watch the cart. A stranger removed a television and a piece of luggage from their cart, saying, "You haven't bought it yet."
"People will do that," she says.
The extra bodies help when it comes to standing in line, too. When the doors open, Barrett and her cousins go for the merchandise while one of the older family members stands in the checkout line.
The crowds will be huge so it's important to go into them with a good attitude, says Nancy Rosu, a devoted Black Friday shopper.
A personal shopper by trade, Rosu will be shopping for herself on Friday. She knows from experience to dress appropriately in comfortable shoes and clothes and carry as little as possible.
"Remember why you're there in the first place, to share a gift with someone," Rosu says. "Have a positive attitude and be happy."
Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-4564.
RELATED STORIES: LAS VEGAS RETAILERS: SHOPPING STARTS ANEW Some stores, malls to open on holiday MALL HOURS Mall and store hours for Black Friday: Las Vegas Premium Outlet, 875 S. Grand Central Parkway: midnight to 10 p.m. Las Vegas Outlet Center, 7400 Las Vegas Blvd. South: midnight to 10 p.m. Galleria at Sunset mall, 1300 W. Sunset Road, Henderson: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fashion Show mall, 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Meadows mall, 4300 Meadows Lane: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Boulevard Mall, 3528 S. Maryland Parkway: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. SHOPPING TIPS Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender, retail anthropologists who research Black Friday every year, have some tips on how to approach the day: 1. Check out the ads in today's paper and identify the items you want to purchase. 2. Next, make a prioritized list of the stores you plan to visit and the items you want to buy there. Some of the hottest deals will go fast so make sure you visit those stores first. 3. Before you go shopping Friday, check your favorite store's Web site for special online coupons or other deals. 4. Some stores are open today and may offer early savings. Call around or check store Web sites for hours. 5. Plan to shop early Friday. Some stores will offer incentives for visiting them first, such as gift cards, free food or low-priced "door busters." 6. Wear comfortable shoes and bring supplies such as extra shopping bags, a bottle of water and a snack. BLACK FRIDAY BY THE NUMBERS: 37% - Percentage of shoppers who plan to hit the stores on Black Friday, according to a consumer poll conducted in October by Maritz Research. $790 - The amount Black Friday consumers say they will spend on their overall holiday purchases. That's a little more than the $637 all shoppers surveyed say they will spend and 10 percent less than what shoppers spent last year. Twenty-five percent of those surveyed say they will spend less this year, with the majority of them citing financial concerns as the reason. 58.9 million - In 2006, the number of people who shopped on Black Friday, according to statistics from the National Retail Federation. One in four shoppers was at the store before 5 a.m. and one in three purchased electronics. SHOPPERS 59% - Gen Y 46% - Gen X 23% - Baby boomer The crowds will be filled with people born after 1964. Of those surveyed by Maritz, 59 percent of Gen Y and 46 percent of Gen X respondents say they will shop on Black Friday. Only 23 percent of the baby boomers surveyed will shop. All holiday shoppers surveyed picked Wal-Mart as their No. 1 destination, followed by Target.
