TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Call It Black Friday II

ADVERTISEMENT

By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: December 27, 2008

SPRING HILL - As expected, shoppers packed the stores Friday cashing in their gift cards or swapping items they didn't need for something they wanted.

But the biggest reason for the influx of customers was the sales. It wasn't your typical day after Christmas.

Nationwide, retailers slashed prices in the hopes of making up for significant losses from the holiday shopping season.

"My mom told me it was like a second Black Friday," said Amanda Harvey, 19, of Brooksville, who spent the morning after Christmas at JCPenney in Spring Hill.

She had four shirts draped over her left forearm as she sorted through more clothes with her right hand, looking for something else to buy. She looked gleeful as she slid the blouses down the rack. There was no sign of shopper fatigue.

"Everything is on sale," she said. "I'm here for the clothes."

A short distance from the women's section is where the store has been selling its Christmas decorations. Most of the prices for those items were cut by 75 percent.

A lot of people were buying for next year. Sales clerks were busy wrapping trees and loading boxes of ornaments.

Denise Bowling was joined by her friend and daughter Friday. There was no work or school that day. They jumped to an early start.

The past few weeks were about shopping for others. This day was all about them. They began at 6 a.m. and by the time they made it to JCPenney, they already had visited Bath and Body Works, the Shoe Department, Sears and Wal-Mart.

"I was sick of shopping for everyone else," joked Bowling. "This is all for me."

Retailers are hoping there will be thousands more like Bowling and Harvey. That is why so many stores across the country were offering hefty discounts. Even the higher-end chains, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's in New York, were discounting by as much as 60 percent.

ShopperTrak, a retail research firm, estimated that customer visits to retail stores in the weeks leading to Christmas were down by 24 percent compared to last year.

A study from MasterCard SpendingPulse - which tracks sales for all forms of payment, not just credit - stated sales were down by as much as 8 percent from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve.

The lines at the stores Friday seemed longer than they were the day before Christmas.

"I think I have something for everyone," said Randi Wendelstedt, of Spring Hill.

She was sifting through racks of women's clothes as two king-sized pillows lay next to her on the floor. She had bought them for $3 a piece.

"I'm here for the deals," she said. "You just can't beat them."

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT