Retailers say Black Friday so far on par with last year

At the Best Buy in West Dundee, about 30 people were lined up five hours before its 3 a.m. Friday opening. Some camped out in tents or waited in lawn chairs and periodically ran to their cars to curl up with some blankets.

Brijesh Sheth had been there since 3 p.m. Thursday, hoping to score a Sony laptop and an LCD television at deep discounts. He was seventh in a line, but didn't worry about anyone cutting in front of him if he left to warm up. "Everybody has an understanding," he said.

That understanding was the theme among shoppers eager for Black Friday doorbuster specials at suburban big-box stores and shopping malls. Despite a tough recession, consumers still lined up well before doors opened and most knew exactly what they wanted.

But that may not necessarily translate into better sales for retailers this year. The National Retail Federation said it expects holiday sales to decrease about 1 percent this year to about $437.6 billion. Its holiday forecast is based on an economic model using indicators like housing data, unemployment and previous monthly retail sales reports.

"Budget-focused shoppers seemed to be pleasantly surprised with post-Thanksgiving deals, which many retailers will extend into Saturday and even Sunday," federation President and CEO Tracy Mullin said. The group said it will release the results of Black Friday sales on Sunday.

Economists also worried about the outcome of Black Friday, as well as sales throughout the season, because of what it means to retailers and to the economy in general. After all, the last six weeks of the year account for about half of retailers' annual sales.

So Black Friday is an important gauge on whether the consumer is coming back, said David Klein, senior vice president/financial consultant with RBC Wealth Management in Vernon Hills.

"All the special promotions are what drives sales and that will bring out a lot of people," Klein said. "We've noticed in the last few months that retail sales have been stabilizing. Also, the weather has a lot to do with it."

Wall Street expectation for this holiday season is muted, said Jack Albin, chief investment officer for Harris Bank in Chicago.

"There have been pockets of strength and pockets of weakness," said Albin. "But the big division this time with consumers is what they can pay for in cash. They aren't inclined to take on any more debt."

Shoppers who could spend money did so all day Friday, despite the recession that has led to higher unemployment or reduced salaries. In fact, many area mall managers seemed pleased, especially as more shoppers continued to arrive long after doorbuster items were gone.

"We continued to get busier throughout the day," said Woodfield Shopping Center General Manager Marc Strich. "We reached near capacity already (late afternoon) and then typically get to about 80 percent later on."

While the results of Black Friday sales won't be available until next week, Strich believes sales so far are on par with last year.

"But this time, we've been seeing some motor coaches filled with people coming in," he said. "We didn't have that last year. The feel has been positive. People are looking to spend."

The first person in line at the Schaumburg mall began camping out at 8:05 p.m. Thursday. When the mall opened at 5 a.m., several hundred shoppers filled the halls, waiting at the doors of their targeted store. Some got in earlier for doorbusters at Sears and J.C. Penney's, said Strich.

In Huntley, the Prime Outlets also saw shoppers stream in throughout the day, seeking various promotions. "The stores are telling me they're up 2 to 3 percent in sales compared to last year," said Richard Feder, general manager of the Huntley mall.

The first man in line came around 5:30 p.m. Thursday and camped out over night, while as many as 700 people opened the mall's Midnight Madness event, Feder said. The first 500 people who wore pajamas received goody bags. Another 200 people received coupon books.

"People are more strategic this year," Feder said. "They had a plan and they followed a budget."

Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holding, parent of Sears and Kmart stores, said lines started forming as early as 11 p.m. Thursday with some reaching up to 1,500 people at some stores. People immediately went for doorbusters, including the Kenmore high-efficiency washer and dryer, the Craftsman 19.2-volt combo kit, and the Samsung 40-inch TV. Kmart shoppers rushed for 32-inch Sony Bravia HDTVs, Netbooks, Nintendo DSi bundles and fine jewelry.

In Rolling Meadows, Bolingbrook and elsewhere, the Meijer grocery stores saw its 42-inch Sylvania LCD high-definition TVs fly off the shelves. Each store had about 40, which all sold out, said Meijer spokesman Frank Guglielmi.

"We had people getting in line around 2 or 3 in the morning for the doorbusters," he said. "And all the doorbusters went very quickly."

At the Kohl's on the west side of Schaumburg, about 200 people lined up for the 4 a.m. opening and they zeroed in on toys, digital cameras, GPS and small kitchen electrics. Shoppers even continued to line up after the early-bird specials were gone, said Kohl's District Manager Sheryl Mark.

"People lined up in an orderly way. We never had an issue with that," Mark said. "They all knew what they were coming in for and went for it."

•Daily Herald Staff Writer Lenore Adkins contributed to this story.

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