Burbank shoppers hunt for deals on Black Friday
At Burbank Town Center, the Christmas trees were decorated with care and the poinsettias arranged in a white-and-red field around a fireplace scene where children posed for photos on Santa’s lap.
It’s that time of year again, when the build-up of consumer desires reaches its annual climax. The day when Christmas shoppers are reputed by myth to blow such wads of cash that it puts some retailers’ books in the black for the first time all year — Black Friday.
However, the shopping may not have been as hot and heavy as in past years, though the National Retail Federation said its Consumer Holiday Spending Survey found that an estimated 135.8 million shoppers “definitely will or may shop on Thanksgiving, Black Friday” or the following weekend.
Adam Huntley, who was waiting for his fiancé outside Bath & Body Works a little after 11 a.m., said he doesn’t like the Friday-after-Thanksgiving shopping craze, but they were walking by and decided to wander in.
Inside the Bath & Body Works, which was filled with sweet and pungent holiday scents — candy apple, vanilla, evergreen and balsam, maybe a little cinnamon — had lines about six people deep.
Heading out to “refuel” between shopping sessions, Alex and Hillary Moeckler of North Hollywood said they came for the sales — “the door-busters” — but didn’t find the crowds they were expecting or even fearing.
“Not at all,” Alex Moeckler said, adding that he anticipated worse. “I was hesitant to come.”
Hillary Moeckler said she was “shocked” at the lack of turnout.
“It looks like a normal day here,” she said.
According to the National Retail Federation survey, nearly 57% of holiday shoppers had started by early November, a rise of more than 2% over last year and a hike of more than 16% from those who had started by this time in 2008, the first time the question was asked on the survey. It was also the highest percentage in that time.
Stores are also opening earlier — Burbank Town Center opened Thanksgiving Day at 10 a.m. — and offering discounts that begin earlier or last longer than one-day-only sales on the fourth Friday in November.
More shoppers are also turning to online retailers than ever before. The holiday spending survey found nearly half of holiday shopping is expected to happen online, up nearly 2% from last year and the highest since the question was first asked in 2006.
At least one retailer decided to go dark for Black Friday. Recreational Equipment Inc., known as REI, announced earlier this year that its 143 stores would be closed the day after Thanksgiving. The outdoor equipment retailer encouraged Americans to #optoutside for the day after their turkey feast.
REI has a website where shoppers could make purchases Friday, but not before encountering a landing page with a message that said “We’re not here” over an image of the outdoors. The message promised the company would start work on customers’ orders “first thing Saturday morning.”
Burbank resident Mike Barragan, who was hauling three large bags full of merchandise past Old Navy on Friday, said he was lured to the shopping center under false pretenses.
“She conned me into it,” he said, referring to his fiancé Brianna Saylor, who was following behind him with their daughter in a stroller.
“Let’s go to the mall and get a smoothie,” he said, imitating Saylor. “I can’t go for an innocent walk to the mall.”
Barragan said he’d never been shopping on Black Friday before, but wasn’t seeing the kind of deals that have been touted in prior years.
Saylor agreed. “I don’t think the deals are anything to brag about,” she said. “But it’s festive.”
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Chad Garland, chad.garland@latimes.com
Twitter: @chadgarland
