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Walmart unveils Pre-Black Friday deals

November 18th, 2009, 6:36 pm by Lisa Liddane, retail reporter

stockblackfriday1

Why wait until Black Friday? That’s the message Walmart is sending as it announced deals that will begin  Saturday, Nov. 21, a good six days before one of the most important shopping days of the year. The savings will resemble the day-after-Thanksgiving prices on select toys and entertainment, according to Walmart officials. The savings range from 23 percent to more than 40 percent off regular prices.

Get more details by checking out Walmart deals.

Stay tuned to see if other competing retailers jump into the pre-Black Friday discount fray.

Some of the deals:
Toys:
Li’l Luvables Studio: $20, will be $8
EZ Bake Oven: $28, will be $16
Little Dreams 22″ Doll: $15, will be $8
Baby Alive Newborn Doll: $15, will be $8

Nerf Capture the Flag: $39, will be $19
Air Hogs Laser Zero Gravity Remote-controlled Vehicle: $34, will be $19
Barbie Generation of Dreams Collectors Doll: $49, will be $25
Disney Princess Scooter: $129, will be $99
Nerf N-Strike Vulcan: $42.97, will be $25

HDTV Savings:
26-inch Vizio LCD HDTV (720p model): $347, will be $248 (limit two per person).

Check out more Vizio deals at Walmart and elsewhere at the Gadgetress’ Black Friday finds.

$40 Gift Card with Hero Game Packages:
Walmart customers who purchase these gaming packages will receive a $40 Walmart Gift Card while supplies last:
Band Hero, includes drum and guitar controllers, microphone and game
PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii: $199
PS2: $179
DJ Hero, includes turntable controller and game
PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii:  $119
PS2: $99
Guitar Hero 5, includes guitar controller and game
PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii: $99
PS2: $89

Check out other Black Friday deals in Marla Jo Fisher’s OC Deals.

In the mean time, take our poll below to see how others view pre-Black Friday deals:

If stores such as Walmart and Target offer deals before Black Friday,
View Results
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Posted in: Black Friday Shopping • Discounters • Walmart • • • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Consumers hunt for big discounts on Black Friday

November 16th, 2009, 1:50 pm by Lisa Liddane, retail reporter

xmaswreath

Bargain. Discount. These are the two key words that are on shoppers’ minds as consumers gear up for the holiday shopping season. Although some shoppers have begun making their holiday purchases before Thanksgiving day, the day after that holiday – better known as Black Friday – is being watched closely by retailers and retail analysts for signs of how the rest of the holiday season is going to shape up.

Here’s a look by three companies at the shopping pulse of consumers:

  • An online survey of 4,691 consumers conducted by PriceGrabber.com, a division of Experian, showed that 70 percent of consumers are doing more research and comparison shopping online, compared with 38 percent last year.

The same survey also found that 45 percent are planning to shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Of those that are shopping, 79 percent plan to make a purchase on Black Friday and 66 percent plan to make a purchase on Cyber Monday.

  • An online survey of 526 consumers conducted by the retail division of Accenture, a management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, found that  more shoppers will shop on Black Friday - 52 percent this year vs. 42 percent in 2008. And more consumers – 69 percent - this year expect to do the bulk of their shopping by Dec. 7, up from 60 percent last year.

“We have seen a ‘shift to thrift’ across all income levels during this economic downturn and breaking that habit will be the greatest challenge for retailers this holiday season,” Janet Hoffman, managing director of Accenture’s retail practice. “The winners this season will be the smart retailers that use the right customer data to offer the ‘value’ shoppers are looking for without destroying their margins.”

  • In an online survey of 1,995 consumers conducted by the NPD Group, Inc., a market research company, 41 percent of consumers said that they plan to start their shopping during Thanksgiving weekend or later.

Here’s how consumers responded when asked when they start/started their holiday shopping:
- By early December    25%
- Before Thanksgiving    20%
- Already Started    18%
- Thanksgiving Weekend    12%
- Last Minute    5%

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Posted in: Ain't That Interesting • Black Friday Shopping • Consumer Spending • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Fashion Island on schedule to remove carousel

November 12th, 2009, 6:14 am by Lisa Liddane, retail reporter
Pacific Court at Fashion Island

Pacific Court at Fashion Island

Fashion Island’s $100 million makeover continues in Newport Beach, but at least one upcoming change is the subject of an online petition started by a local resident. The Venetian-themed carousel, a ride popular among families with toddlers and young kids, is slated to be closed and removed permanently within the next several months, following the removal of another kid-friendly feature, the “pop-jet” fountain near Garys & Company.

Keree James, a mom of two girls under five, started a petition called “Save the Carousel!” which now has more than 670 signatures and has been featured in at least two Newport Beach news sites. She wrote, “I’m sure you have all had fond memories with your kids on the Fashion Island Carousel. With news that they will be removing the carousel by the first of the year, I was extremely disappointed!”

Her sentiments were echoed by some anonymously and by others such as Sandy McDougall, who wrote, “We go to Fashion Island because of the carousel. We make the loop with my 1- and 3-year old, from the Carousel to the Apple Store to the Koi Pond to the Food Court to Haagen Dazs for the Fountain to Russos pet store. We usually spend quite a bit of money while we are wheeling along with our stroller. Without the Carousel, we will probably go somewhere else like Balboa Island or The Fun Zone and bring our retail dollars to those locations.”

The petition, however understandable, won’t change long-standing renovation plans, according to Irvine Company executives.

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Posted in: Ain't That Interesting • Fashion Island • Mall News • • • | 31 Comments »

Apple vs. Microsoft rivalry goes to the mall

November 11th, 2009, 3:30 pm by Lisa Liddane, retail reporter
microsoftblack1A sign announcing the Microsoft store at The Shops at Mission Viejo/Photo: Mark Rightmire, The Orange County Register

Top: The location of the soon-to-reopen Apple Retail Store. Photo: Niyaz Pirani. Bottom: A sign announcing the Microsoft Store at The Shops at Mission Viejo. Photo: Mark Rightmire, The Orange County Register

Nov. 27 will be more than just Black Friday at The Shops at Mission Viejo. It’s the day the expanded Apple Retail Store will reopen after a renovation that began in Sept. And it’s the day the mall becomes the only shopping center in the nation that has both Microsoft and Apple stores under one roof.  (For a story on the reopening of the Apple Retail Store, click here.)

While the Apple Retail Store was being renovated at The Shops at Mission Viejo, Microsoft opened one of its two initial retail locations at the same mall to much fanfare on Oct. 29. (For a story on a visit to the Microsoft store, click here.)

It’s no doubt that getting the Microsoft Store was a coup for the The Shops at Mission Viejo - the store is the only one of its kind in California so far. The other new Microsoft Store is located at Scottsdale Fashion Square in Scottsdale, Ariz.

When the all-black minimalist construction barriers come down and the Apple Retail Store reopens the day after Thanksgiving,  consumers will have an unparalleled hands-on opportunity to check out each brand’s goods up close and go back and forth between the stores.

As for the mall, its bragging rights aren’t going to last long. Microsoft plans to open more stores and the buzz on the street is that there’s  a reasonably high probability that some locations will be where Apple already has a bricks-and-mortar presence.

And if Apple’s latest advertising salvo titled “Broken Promises” is any indication of how that company views Microsoft, Apple isn’t likely to just sit back on the retail front as well.

Tell us what you think about these technology giants’ retail businesses below:

WHEN IT COMES TO APPLE VS. MICROSOFT STORES,
View Results

For stories on The Shops at Mission Viejo and other retail news:

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Posted in: Ain't That Interesting • Mall News • Shops at Mission Viejo • Store Openings • • | Post a Comment »

Oct. retail sales up, Nov. outlook positive

November 9th, 2009, 6:49 am by Lisa Liddane, retail reporter

Cash registerIs the retail industry showing signs of recovery?

Yes, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC). Store sales for October increased by 2.1 percent from the same month in 2008, according to a tally of 32 retail-chain stores by the council. It was the second consecutive monthly increase for the industry following 13 monthly declines, and the strongest gain since April 2008.

And there’s positive news for the luxury department-store sector: it had an increase of 1.8 percent in store sales  for Oct., the first sign of improvement since May 2008.

Factors that helped the sales boost included an improving economy and stock market, warm weather early in Oct. and weak numbers for the same period last year.

retailsales

As for November, sales are anticipated to be up 5 to 8 percent above sales in November 2008. Keep in mind that this month last year, sales fell 7.7 percent when consumer cut spending and retailers increased discounting.

Retailers are watching the returns from Black Friday - Nov. 27, the Friday after Thanksgiving, which, according to a survey by ICSC with Goldman Sachs, is more important this season. The survey of 1,000 adults showed that 16 percent of consumers expect to kick off their holiday shopping on that day, up from 10 percent of consumers in 1007 and 13 percent in 2006.

“Bargain hunting will continue to be an important element of the consumers’ holiday shopping strategy,” said Michael P. Niemira, ICSC’s director of research and chief economist.

For more news about improved retail sales, click here.

Want to see people’s spending plans for holiday shopping? Take our poll below.

How much are you spending for holiday shopping this year?
View Results
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Posted in: Ain't That Interesting • Black Friday Shopping • Consumer Spending • • • • | 4 Comments »

South Coast Plaza debuts O.C. exclusive boutique

November 4th, 2009, 9:11 pm by Lisa Liddane, retail reporter
Henri Bendel bags

Henri Bendel bags

Henri Bendel, a favorite New York boutique of the smash hit TV series “Gossip Girl,” is unveiling its Orange County outpost on Friday, Nov. 6. The boutique, with Bendel’s signature brown and white stripes, is located on the first level of the Bloomingdale’s wing at South Coast Plaza .

For a previous story about the O.C. store, click here.
The original Henri Bendel store opened in 1895 on W. 57th Street in New York.
The store became part of recent popular culture vernacular after it was featured in the movie “Confessions of a Shopaholic” and in  “Gossip Girl.”

No wonder the store bills itself as  “the ultimate girls’ playground.”

When the South Coast Plaza boutique opens, there will be a total of 11 Bendel locations across the U.S. for the Columbus, Ohio-based Limited Brands, which also owns Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works. The store will carry accessories, beauty products, fragrance, jewelry, food and Bendel-branded items.
The first 250 customers to purchase $125 or more worth of goods at the store will receive a limited-edition Henri Bendel tote.
For more information, call (714) 557-1647.

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Posted in: South Coast Plaza • Store Openings | 3 Comments »

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