Substantial crowds at local malls and shopping plazas are expected on ‘Black Friday,’ traditionally one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
One of the busiest places will be at Eastview Mall in Victor, and General Manager Mike Kauffman said that even if the people lining up in the pre-dawn hours isn’t what it used to be, a lot of shoppers still like to get out there for the overall experience.
“Obviously there’s some people that choose to stay away on Black Friday, but for a lot of people, it’s a tradition with their families or their friends,” Kauffman said. “They love coming out, they understand there’s gonna be a lot of people out, a lot of people shopping, some lines, but they enjoy the excitement of Black Friday.”
Unlike the pattern years ago when some stores at Eastview and other malls and plazas opened up the night before, or hours before sunrise, Kauffman said that most stores on Friday that open early will be doing so at 7 a.m.
He said the mall gets assistance with both traffic and overall security during the holiday shopping season from the Ontario County Sheriff’s Department.
Kauffman is also expecting retailers at the mall to see about a 4% to 6% increase in sales compared to last year.
That’s a little higher than the national average expected by the National Retail Federation which is anticipating an increase of about 3.5%. NPR reports that according to Adobe Analytics, shoppers in November spent 9.6% more just on online purchases.
On a statewide level, Kelsey Dorado Bobersky, Director of State and Local Government Relations for the Retail Council of New York State said that her members are also expecting sales to be a bit higher than they were last year.
In terms of what’s hot this year for gift-giving, Bobersky said that gift cards are often a very popular choice. And for kids, Bobersky said that Jellycat plush toys are a big hit this year.
At Eastview, Kauffman expects electronics and clothing to do especially well.
Also, this weekend, it’s the annual Small Business Saturday promotion on Nov. 29. That’s a day that was started in 2010 by American Express as a way of promoting small businesses after the financial downturn.
One group locally that is glad that designation still happens just after Thanksgiving is the Monroe Avenue Merchants Association.
Jen Plunkett is the Secretary of that organization and also owns the clothing and gift store, Aaron’s Alley.
She said that shoppers should consider buying holiday gifts at the small shops, instead of just focusing on big box retailers.
“So you’re getting types of products that are special, that are unique, that are not all over, that everyone will see in our store and in a number of other stories on the avenue,” said Plunkett. “We also support local artists so you may find something that’s literally made by somebody who lives a couple blocks away from Monroe Avenue.”
Small Business Saturday on Monroe Avenue takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It includes various shopping and community activities as well as free hot chocolate and popcorn stands that will be hosted by various neighborhood associations along Monroe Ave. in the city.
A number of New York state residents will be spending more money on gifts this season. According to a recent Siena College poll, 36% of New Yorkers expect to spend more on holiday gifts this season than they did last year, with 24% anticipating spending less, and 39% figuring their holiday spending will be about the same as a year ago.
This story includes reporting from NPR.
