US retailers report strong ‘Black Friday’ crowds - Strong emphasis on sales of practical items

US retailers report strong ‘Black Friday’ crowds - Strong emphasis on sales of practical items
By Jonathan Birchall in New York
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Published: November 27 2009 18:05 | Last updated: November 27 2009 18:0
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2f233832-db7d-11de-9424-00144feabdc0.html


US shoppers flocked to stores on Friday for the traditional post-Thanksgiving sales, while still maintaining the utilitarian focus that has replaced bubble-era excess since last September’s Wall Street crash.

The National Retail Federation said all sectors had reported “strong crowds”, while analysts said numbers seemed similar to, or slightly above, last year’s levels.

“Budget-focused shoppers seemed to be pleasantly surprised with post-Thanksgiving deals,“ said Tracy Mullin, the NRF’s chief executive.

Barry Judge, chief marketing officer of Best Buy, the consumer electronics retailer, told his Twitter followers that customer traffic “seems good versus last year”.

But analysts said deals on basic items such as low-cost vacuum cleaners, coffee makers, towels, bedding and luggage reflected a prevailing tone of practicality, as well as a bid by retailers to persuade consumers to start spending again.

“Consumers have really been deferring a lot of their own purchases,” said Paul Leinwand, a retail consultant at Booz & Company. “Understandably, shoppers have been thinking, ‘if it’s not broken, do I really need to replace it?’ ”

Janet Hoffman, a retail consultant at Accenture, said: “There is an element of practicality out there ...The retailers want to make it easier for the consumer to spend.”

The NRF said the most popular items were high-definition televisions, laptops, coats and the low-cost Zhu Zhu Pet robotic hamsters that have been this season’s hottest toy.

Marshal Cohen, head retail industry analyst at NPD Group, said the day had been driven by a mixture of “pent-up demand and frugal fatigue”, with shoppers coming to the stores with a clear idea of exactly what they wanted.

But in spite of the focus on practicality, few shoppers indicated any readiness to spend more this season.