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....... Yahoo! is not affiliated with the authors of this page or responsible for its content. Democrat & Chronicle: Business Democrat & Chronicle: Business http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200... 2 of 3 11/29/2006 2:21 PM CARLOS ORTIZ staff photographer enlarge Katie Cieplinski, 2, Madeline Wooster, 12, Emily
Wooster, 10, and Leanna Pick, 12, all from Ontario,
Wayne County, explore a Christmas display at Eastview
Mall, all ready for Black Friday. Day in Photos Related articles: Here's what's hot for the holidays Shopping tips In the stores: Review the newspaper ads and compare prices. Make a shopping list and stick to it.
If looking for a specific, advertised item, take the ad with you so you don't end up in the wrong
store looking for a special price. Ask for gift receipts and keep them with you.
If paying by credit card, use only one to keep track of purchases. Know the store's return policy.
Watch your personal belongings. Consider wearing a fanny pack instead of carrying a purse
to keep hands free. Wear comfortable shoes.
Be patient, smile and enjoy the season. If you don't like crowds, stay home.
Online: Shop with online sites that you know. Confirm the business address and phone number in case
you need to make personal contact. If you get an
e-mail or pop-up message from a business while
you're browsing that asks for financial information,
don't click or reply on the link in the message.
Legitimate businesses don't ask for this
information via e-mail or pop-ups. Make sure the Web site is secure. Look for a lock icon on the browser's status bar or a URL for
a Web site that begins "https." The "s" stands for
secure. Check out a company's privacy policy. It should let you know what personal information the Web
site operators are collecting, why and how it will be
used. Print and save records of your transactions, including the product description and price. Also
save the online receipt and copies of any e-mails
you exchange with the site. Know the delivery date and return policy. Will your item arrive before the holiday? Do you have
to pay shipping costs to send an item back? Can
you physically return an item to the online retailer's
store? Some Web sites will experience high volumes of traffic and may not be available when you log
on. Be patient, smile and enjoy the season. You
could be shopping in a crowded mall. Holiday shopping shifts to serious Seasoned gift buyers are scoping stores,
going online Deborah Alexander
Staff writer (November 19, 2006) This week, Sharon Mendes
begins an annual pre-Thanksgiving ritual she has
performed for at least 15 years: planning her
after-Thanksgiving holiday shopping. On Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day, Mendes will review
newspaper ads noting which retailers open early on Friday,
any special promotions or early-bird sales, and store
locations where traffic should be the least congested. "I don't want to waste time," she said. Then about 5 a.m. Friday, the 48-year-old Chili resident will
meet with two of her former college roommates, Carol Dellavilla
of Webster and Mary Jo Serron of Penfield, for breakfast at
Cracker Barrel before embarking on a day of "social shopping"
at The Marketplace mall in Henrietta. Melanie Trotter-Jiggetts also will check out the newspaper ads
to compare prices before she begins her holiday shopping. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to set foot in a store," said the
49-year-old Rochester resident, who can do without the
"madness of shopping at this time of year." Trotter-Jiggetts will begin her shopping on Saturday from home
online. Mendes and Trotter-Jiggetts are among the millions of
consumers nationwide who will hit the stores, literally or
virtually, for a weekend of bargains and sales. The National
Retail Federation forecasts a modest rise in total holiday retail
revenue of 5 percent over last year, bringing holiday spending
to $457 billion. In 2005, spending grew 6 percent. The day after Thanksgiving, "Black Friday" in retail parlance, is
the traditional start of the shopping season. It's the day when, in
olden times, merchants' ledgers changed from being filled with
red ink for the year to being in the black. According to the retail federation, the Monday after
Thanksgiving, or "Cyber Monday," has become the online
equivalent of Black Friday. Many consumers, who were too
busy to shop during Thanksgiving weekend or didn't find what
they were looking for, go online that day from home or work to
find bargains. Last year, 51.7 million people shopped online from work, the
retail federation said. About three-fourths of them said they did
so to avoid holiday crowds. Despite the rising prevalence of online shopping, it still ranks as
only the fifth most popular destination for shoppers this time of
year, trailing big discounters such as Wal-Mart and Target,
traditional department stores such as Macy's and The Bon Ton,
specialty stores including Best Buy and Toys "R" Us, and even
grocery stores. But merchants are doing more to cater to those online. Two
years ago, 64 percent of online retailers offered free shipping;
this year, 83 percent will, according to Helen Malani of
Shopzilla, an online shopping search site. "Retailers try to lure shoppers as soon as they finish their turkey," Malani said. "The special
promotions and early bird specials get consumers shopping from home." More discretionary income Despite the retailers' pitches, marketing professor Eugene Fram at Rochester Institute of
Technology said he anticipates just a small increase in holiday buying this year. People are
still concerned about jobs and Iraq, though Fram acknowledged many shoppers will have
more discretionary income than a few months ago, when gasoline prices were much higher.
Nationally, more shopping malls are following the lead of their tenants by opening as early as
midnight the morning of Black Friday. But don't look for that in the Rochester area, where The
Marketplace, The Mall at Greece Ridge and Eastview Mall will open at 7 a.m. Some anchor stores will open earlier, said Mike Wilmot, general manager for The
Marketplace and Pittsford Plaza. J.C. Penney and Sears, for example, will open at 5 a.m.,
Macy's and The Bon Ton at 6. Democrat & Chronicle: Business http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200... 3 of 3 11/29/2006 2:21 PM Wilmot said last year's Black Friday was "the best we've had. We hope for the same this year." Back-to-school
sales were strong and stores started their holiday promotions early. At Eastview Mall, retailers also have been offering pre-holiday sales. "We consider November 1st the kickoff of the season," said Mike Kauffman, general manager. "A lot of stores
drive the holiday sales with ads and promotions." Kauffman said Black Friday is one of the top five days at the mall in terms of customer traffic. Extra help At Target in Greece, manager Harvey McCorvey said employees will spend Wednesday night preparing the store
for a 6 a.m. opening Friday, which he described as "a big, busy fun day." Since mid-October, at least 50 seasonal workers have been added to the permanent staff of 160 employees,
McCorvey said. The biggest concentration of extra help is in jewelry and electronics because they are expected to
be big sellers. Last year on Black Friday, the line of shoppers waiting for Target to open wrapped around the building. This year,
shoppers arriving early will be served hot coffee and popcorn. Rich Calabrese of Rochester won't be among them. He finished his shopping in September, doing it all online. "You have a global reach," said Calabrese, 41. "You can find unique items, the online retailer ships your order
directly to you so there is no driving around or hauling of bags. It's all done." DALEXAND@DemocratandChronicle.com Last seven days of news Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | Tue 1999-Present Archive Democrat and Chronicle Interactive E-Newsletters Sign up for E-Newsletters . Samples: Latest News FingerLakeWine.com Business News RSS feeds are also available. Podcasts Download a pod or vodcast: Sports Exchange Varsity Voices At the Movies with Jack Subscribe now Account EZ Pay Contact us Advertisement CUSTOMER SERVICE: Place An Ad Manage Your Subscription Contact Us Submit A Story Idea Jobs With Us Our Mission Feedback IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS: Customer Service: (585) 232-5550 Classified Advertising: (585) 454-1111 Retail Advertising: (585) 258-2552 Newsroom: (585) 258-2214 Circulation: (585) 232-5550 Death Notices: (585) 546-7000 Toll Free (NY State only): 1 (800) 767-7539 PARTNERS: Jobs: CareerBuilder.com Cars: Cars.com Apartments: Apartments.com Homes: Homescape.com Shopping: ShopLocal.com Gannett Co., Inc. Gannett Foundation USA Today USA Weekend GANNETT NEW YORK NETWORK: Binghamton Elmira Ithaca Poughkeepsie Rochester Utica Westchester WGRZ-TV, Buffalo Copyright © 2006, The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, All rights reserved. Use of this site signifies agreement to the Terms of service and Privacy Policy , updated September 7, 2006 Mailing Address: 55 Exchange Boulevard | Rochester, New York 14614 | (585) 232-7100