Crowds, deals expected even if you don't shop early

If watching the Thanksgiving Day parade and letting the pumpkin pie digest are more important than shopping before sunrise Friday, you can still expect large crowds and deals later in the day.

In fact, shoppers can expect bargains at any time, especially this holiday season.

"If the shopper doesn't want to come for the midnight madness, retailers are offering sales throughout the day," said Yolanda Casas, assistant general manager at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora.

"There will be plenty of things on sale all day long," agreed George Rosenbaum, analyst of Chicago-based retail research firm Leo J. Shapiro and Associates Inc.

While some stores cater to the early bird shopper, others have sales running all day and all some all weekend. The Gap store at Deer Park Town Center is running its Black Friday promotion - buy one sweater get one free - all day. And Pottery Barn Kids offers free gift wrapping at all hours.

"There are so many great sales out there," Casas said.

Black Friday, the official kick off to the holiday shopping season, took its name because it's said to be the day when retailers go from being in the red to going into the black and able to turn a profit.

The day has become a tradition for many shoppers with the chaotic atmosphere just as fun as finding a deal.

"Black Friday has become a national festival. No one going shopping at any time on this day expects a relaxing experience and strolling the aisles. They expect a parade," Rosenbaum added.

The one thing shoppers hitting the stores later in the day may experience is a thinner merchandise selection, experts say.

This Black Friday is hard to predict as a lot of people have already purchased many of their gifts, especially toys, said John Melaniphy, founder of retail consultancy Melaniphy & Associates in Chicago. "Parents are afraid the selection is going to run low," he said.

"Inventories are lean as we get closer to the Christmas season," Rosenbaum agreed, adding that stores don't want to be caught with excess merchandise at the end of the year.

Across the suburbs, retailers and malls are trying to spark the holiday spirit Friday with longer hours, more live music, strolling Santas, twittering elves and even free chocolate.

Gurnee Mills plans to give away bite-size pieces of Hersey's Bliss candy Friday in partnership with the candy company.

"Anything to get people into the mall is beneficial," Melaniphy said.

Retailers are doing what they can to make sure they don't see a repeat of last year.

Though not expected to be as drastic as last winter's decline, the National Retail Federation still expects a slight decline in retail spending this holiday season.

According to the federation's holiday forecast, sales are expected to drop by 1 percent this year. Last holiday season, sales were down 3.4 percent from the year before.

Typically, there is a roughly 3.4 percent growth in sales from one holiday season to the next, but given the economic climate, this year's projection is not bad, analysts say.

Gurnee General Manager Randy Ebertowski believes it's the customer who will benefit from retailers looking for a prosperous season. "Retailers nationwide are going to be offering some unprecedented offers because of the economy. The customer's going to win," he said.

For example, he noticed that Carters was offering 50 percent off the entire store, even before Black Friday.

He believes that shoppers are educating themselves on where to find the best deal, no matter what time they shop Friday.

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