Pinched spenders suggest decline

November 29, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

By LISA CORNWELL

With Black Friday-esque sales offered all month this year, the power of the landmark shopping day for the retail industry could be fading.

CINCINNATI — Hundreds of Black Friday shoppers lined up well before dawn at shopping plazas and malls around Ohio looking for bargains, but many said they planned to spend less than usual because of the uncertain economy.

Shoppers spilled out the door as early as 4 a.m. in Cincinnati-area stores, where Joyce and Kevin Kirk, of Georgetown, arrived at a Kohl’s department store to buy clothes and toys for their four children.

Joyce Kirk said she’s hoping to spend under $1,000 this Christmas, compared with the $3,000 to $4,000 she spent last year.

A line stretched around the store when sisters Karima and Kavita Samadi arrived at a nearby Best Buy about 5 a.m. and found a high-definition digital TV for about $500, about $100 below normal price.

“It didn’t seem as crowded this year, and they still seemed to have everything by the time I got it,” Karima Samadi said.

Some shoppers reverted to old-fashioned coupon clipping, while others revived the outdated practice of putting items on layaway.

At the Parmatown Mall near Cleveland, 41-year-old Lisa Liggins, who began the day at 5 a.m., rested on a bench surrounded by bags of gifts stuffed with half-off coats for family members. She had brought along $10-off coupons for clothing bargains as she shopped for her two children, her husband and her mother.

“I’m concerned because everything is going up,” said Liggins, a postal worker from Maple Heights. “We’re in the busy season, but no job is safe right now.”

Sandra Bentz, 37, saved more than $300 on a diamond ring that she put on layaway at the Eastgate Square shopping center in suburban Cincinnati.

“I am cutting way down this year,” Bentz said. “I spent about $1,000 last year, but I plan to spend about $300 less this year.”

Bentz, who manages a party supply store, said she usually tries to get some small gifts for employees but can’t afford that this year.

“With everything the way it is, I just have to be more careful with my spending,” she said. “I can’t do everything I’d like to do.”

Black Friday received its name because it historically was the day when a surge of shoppers helped stores break into profitability for the full year. But this year, with rampant promotions of up to 70 percent throughout the month amid a deteriorating economy, the power of this landmark day for the retail industry could be fading.

Still, though it isn’t a predictor of holiday sales, the day after Thanksgiving is an important barometer of people’s willingness to spend for the rest of the season. And particularly this year, analysts will dissect how the economy is shaping buying habits in a season that many analysts predict could see a contraction in spending from a year ago.

The early morning turned violent in other parts of the country. An employee at a Wal-Mart in Valley Stream, N.Y., died after being trampled by a throng of unruly shoppers. Police also said a 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital for observation and three other shoppers suffered minor injuries and were also taken to hospitals.