Nov. 26, 2009
Retailers are getting even more creative for this year's Black Friday, the official kickoff of the holiday shopping season.
Photo by Isaac Babcock — The Observer
By Jenny Andreasson
Observer Staff
Dee Dee Cutright is excited to open the doors to her Winter Park Village store at 6 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 27.
Her store, Learning Express Toys, is one of about 10 stores in the Village that are opening early for this year's Black Friday, the official kickoff to the holiday shopping season.
After some sluggish seasons, retailers such as Cutright are getting more creative when it comes to drawing shoppers into their stores. Some are even getting a head start.
"Retailers have had the realization that they have to strike fast because there's not going to be a sustained wave of spending," University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith said.
In advance of the holiday rush, Cutright hosted a VIP shopping event Sunday night for her best customers.
"I'm not one of those doom-and-gloom retailers," Cutright said. "I order heavily and have an optimistic attitude."
She is offering 20 percent off everything at Learning Express Toys from Wednesday, Nov. 25, through Monday, Nov. 30, with an additional 10 percent off from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Black Friday.
She's also doing free gift-wrapping and personalization, and partnering with neighbor Schakolad Chocolate Factory, which will offer discounted coffee.
Local businesses and even cities are partnering to drive traffic to their retail areas.
An ice skating rink opened in Central Park on Thursday, Nov. 19, an economic initiative put together by the city and the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, with the hopes that it will benefit the Park Avenue merchants. UCF also has an ice rink.
Chamber President Patrick Chapin said they're promoting the Avenue as a whole.
"Instead of people spending day in box store or a mall they can come experience the whole atmosphere of Park Avenue and Hannibal Square," he said.
Snaith said that this Black Friday's sales may be better than last year, as the economy slowly grows. He said the forecasted numbers are "not a reflection of a great holiday shopping season but of people working a little harder for the bargains."
Retail traffic this holiday season is expected to decrease 4.2 percent, according to a ShopperTrak report. But a 1.6 sales increase is predicted during the same season. In 2008, sales decreased 5.9 percent while traffic fell 15.4 percent compared with 2007.
Cutright said she's stocking her shelves with her specialty toys no matter what the forecasters say, and encouraging other Winter Park Village retailers to open early with her.
"I guess I'm the crazy toy store lady who opens before anybody else," she said. "But then [other retailers] will look at the lines outside my store in the morning and maybe say 'Wow, that's a good idea.'"
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