Reporter’s Notebook: When Black Friday Comes
It is midnight on Thanksgiving and two of this reporter’s friends are stuck on Route 80 in the Poconos trying to get to the nearby outlet mall. What could possibly be an incentive to shop at that hour? “We did it as much for the fun as the bargains,” said Laurie Janssen, the driver of the expedition.
Friday morning I am zipping into the city from New Jersey to shop. Traffic is light, but at the store, bargains are heavy. Women are calling friends on cell phones telling them about the sales.
No matter what the economy, there is something inherent inside of many Americans that makes them want to shop, especially on Black Friday. That single factor helped save Black Friday from the gloom that had been projected. Yes, the robust business was at the sacrifice of margins. And, perhaps it was a blip instead of a promising boom for the holiday. Indeed, sales on Saturday dropped 0.6 percent versus the Saturday last year. There are hundreds of projections on how Black Friday was, but most estimates put gains in the 2 to 3 percent range.
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What’s notable was there were a few alterations to shopping lists this year versus the past few years. While beauty in particular had lost out in recent years to electronics, the electronic gizmos limped along this year. Perhaps everyone has an iPod and flat-screen television already. Sales of electronics and appliances dropped 14.3 percent. However, these items did still serve as doorbusters.
So how did mass market beauty fare? Visits to 15 retail doors between Friday and Sunday revealed that many mass market beauty items were mostly untouched. Shoppers did appear to be trying new mascaras or beauty items as self-purchases — perhaps for holiday parties. Gift sets, color blockbusters and bath sets were set up, but not drawing much attention. The fact is that, even with pent-up demand for Black Friday shopping, fragrance and other beauty items tend to be last-minute buys.
Mass market retailers will have to wait, as they always do, for a last-minute surge. Manufacturers said they did not change promotional plans for this holiday based on the economic report, and that they think inventories are in the right place to come out as clean as can be expected. Store visits, however, reveal a glut of fragrances in the market that even a shopping list filled with aunts who want new fragrances won’t be able to sell through. The odds are that there will be huge fragrance returns and markdowns come next month.
Next: People, Place and Things >>
People, Places and Things
A few words with Joelle Joseph, marketing director for Dr. Miracle’s, an up-and-coming ethnic manufacturer.
WWD: Why is your company getting so much buzz?
Joelle Joseph: We’ve done our research and we know black women want items for their skin. We also reach out to customers on college campuses with tours, through social media and even YouTube, where you can see our commercials.
WWD: Tell us about your commercials.
J.J.: Our commercials are humorous and very memorable. Recently, however, we went in a different direction and had a photo shoot with an all-black, female crew. It was a very upscale and elegant shoot that I’m so proud of.
What’s in Store
NACDS Raises More Than $2.1 Million: At Tuesday evening’s festivities, the NACDS Foundation raised more than $2.1 million to be used to help advance patient care through a community pharmacy. Bob Schieffer, anchor of the CBS News’ Sunday public affairs broadcast, was the headliner for the dinner.
Kim Feil of Walgreens Has Big Plans: In an interview with Adweek and Brandweek, chief marketing officer of Walgreens Kim Feil said she plans to jazz up Walgreens with plans for extending private label offerings. She hopes to bring the loyalty Americans have to Walgreens to new levels.
Beauty Roundup appears on WWD.com every Friday.