As shoppers have been encouraging their dollars to do yoga (seeing how far George Washington can really flex), a strategy for 2009 Christmas shopping seems to be the new norm.
In an interesting twist, the word on the web is that super shoppers are using the internet to map a path for in-store (rather than on-line) shopping this Black Friday.
"Black Friday," named for retailer's aspirations of hitting the "black" on their balance sheets in the post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping, may be bigger than ever this year.
The blogging consensus seems to be that folks are just a bit more motivated about making those dollars stretch in 2009 than previous years. With a jobless rate still in the double digits, the Upper Cumberland, like the rest of the country, is hard-pressed to find money for extras around the Christmas tree.
However, holiday giving seems to remain important to shoppers like Missy Ferrell who says "More than ever I want people I love to know that I'm thinking of them. I don't have a lot of money to spend, but that just makes it more challenging."
Every self respecting store in the Upper Cumberland has something special to offer shoppers -- from D.T. McCalls to Kroger's to The Market on the Square. And shopping locally can really help our economy. There seem to be plenty of opportunities in the region.
This week, retailers are hoping you'll get friendly with that credit card in your hand, because stores are "full" of deals at about half the "regular price" or better.
Though the smaller stores offer many temptations, many will seek the big boxes first, like Sears, JC Penny's and Kohl's. Here's what we've found thus far for your Black Friday planning pleasure:
In the you-might-as-well-stay-up category is Old Navy, opening at 3 a.m.
Sears is close behind, open at 4 a.m.
Says blogger Sara Jernigan: Yes I will be shopping the Black Friday sales and Sears is always at the top of the list. My husband is always needing more Craftsman tools. I've already started making my list (thanks to many leaked ads) and I try to knock off as many places as I can by shopping online before hitting the stores. I will not be going to Wal-Mart this year though because it was crazy last year- jammed with too many pushing people and we just left without purchasing anything. No sales are worth that- lol.
Sam's sales begin on-line Thanksgiving Day, all day. Their Black Friday ad is offering the Acer Aspire One 10.1″ Netbook for $197.00 and the HP G71 17″ LED Notebook w/Blu-ray for $499.00.
In the television isle, it's the Hitachi 42″ 1080p LCD HDTV – $598.00, Phillips 52″ 1080p LCD HDTV – $1198.00 and the Vizio 47″ 1080p 240Hz LCD HDTV – $997.00.
In other odds and ends, Sams Club is offering Black Friday sales discounts on the Olympus FE-4000 12 MegaPixel Camera – $98.00, JVC 1080p Blu-ray Player – $129.00, and the Garmin Nuvi 255w GPS Navigation System – $119.00
There’s also Toys and video games for $15 and $20, and a three piece sterling silver and 1/3 carat diamond bangle bracelet for $148.00.
KMARTs are out with their Black Friday sales for 2009 and like their competitors, televisions are a popular selling point: 32” Sony Bravia L Series 32″ 720p LCD HDTV for $379, an Element 26″ LCD HDTV for $249.99 and a Panasonic 42″ 720 Plasma TV for $549.99.
If you’re looking for something to connect to your new TV, Kmart is offering a Magnavox DVD Player w/VCR – $49.99, Memorex 1080P HDMI Upconvert DVD Player – $29.99 and a Sylvania 7 Inch Portable DVD Player – $49.99.
In cameras, Kmart has the Kodak CD80 Digital Camera Bundle – $79.99, the Samsung SL40 Digitial Camera – $79.99 and the Sony W180 Digital Camera – $99.99.
For the car, Kmarts Black Friday sale ad is offering the Magellan Roadmate 1220 GPS Navigation System – $84.99, the TomTom ONE 130 GPS – $79.99, and the TomTom XL325S GPS Navigation System – $99.99.
In gaming, Kmart is offering the XBox 360 Elite Bundle w/Halo 3 OSDT for $299.99, and a range of discount games including Brutal Legend, Dirt 2, Dragon Age, Halo 3 OSDT and Left 4 Dead 2 for $39.99.
Office Max opens at 7 a.m. and Tractor's Supply has some early bird deals posted on-line.
Kohls open at 4 a.m. -- will offer "The Big One" bath towels for just $2.49 each, Milton Bradley family board games for $3.99 each and a George Foreman Lean Mean Grill for just $9.99! Electronics will also be found inside the store at low prices such as the LeapFrog Tag Reading System for $29.99, a Panimage 7" Digital Photo Frame also for $29.99 and a 19" LCD HDTV w/Built-in DVD Player for $199.99.
All Nintendo Wii games in stock at Kohls are going to be marked 20%-30% off their regular prices. There will be discounted jewelry, clothing, fragrances, cosmetics, bed sheet sets and appliances.
If you're going to make an early morning run to Books A Million, you may want to print this coupon.
Black Friday deals online are important for Putnam County residents that don't want to get in the Black Friday traffic.
Sears Black Friday deals online are available starting on Thanksgiving day. Even if you plan on braving the crowds on Black Friday, you can still head out to Sears.com and do some early bargain hunting.
Walmart.com has Black Friday deals online, although the deals may differ from what is available in stores. Walmart.com has a variety of daily deals, so checking their site each and every day could help you save lots of money.
Amazon says it's starting Black Friday now. Eye-catching offer: KitchenAid 6-quart stand mixer for $299.99, down from $499.99. Plus there's that $50 rebate. A DVD of "Slumdog Millionaire" is $7.99 right now, down from around $30! And hit the "special offers" link to see how to get several magazine subscriptions (Men's Journal, Rolling Stone, Us Weekly) for $1 each with the purchase. AND -- after I bought this they sent me a $5 video on demand credit. All that for $7.99.
And for the truly Thrifty Shopper, the usual deals at GoodWill and other second hand shops (including pawn shops) will be ready to show you exactly how limber good old George Washington can be in 2009.
