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Online, local merchants woo shoppers
By Robyn Lydick
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are upon us as we careen from Thanksgiving into the tinsel, green-boughed and dreidel populated world of the December holidays.
Last year, Jdimytai Damour, 34, a Walmart greeter was crushed to death by Black Friday crowds in Long Island, N.Y., that broke down locked doors and rushed into the store.
Despite this, the advertising term door buster is still in play.
On Black-Friday.net, readers can get the scoop on major sales with retailers, including copies of sale fliers, and coupons to use with ordering online.
Cybermonday.net trumpets its value site as “just like Black Friday , except you can do your holiday shopping at work.”
Both have user-submitted deals.
Need a laptop for $300? Keep an eye out — entry-level netbooks are selling as low as $128.
Dealnews.com allows members to set up alerts on particular items.
Cellular phone service providers are offering deals to get people in the door or on the site.
AT&T, which enjoys a customer base through an exclusive deal with iPhone, is offering buy-one-get-one free deals on several other phones, including smart phones from Samsung, Sony, Ericsson and Nokia.
While AT&T gets a bump in customers as each iPhone is released, the December holidays pull in the shoppers.
“We expect constant traffic all season long,” said Brooke Burgess, spokesperson for AT&T.
Down on Main Street, brick and mortar businesses are enticing custom with events and specials. the Historic Downtown Littleton Merchants are holding a shopping night Dec. 5.
Savory Spice Shop on Main Street in Littleton, was crowded Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Men came in with lists, or to pick up orders made by wives. Other men were with young teenage sons selecting spices for the youngsters’ first try at a Thanksgiving dinner.
The aisles were crowded with more than 20 people in the tiny shop and the chatter was of food.
“We’ll be this busy through the season,” said Denise Herner, manager of Savory Spice Shop.
Willow, An Artisan’s Market was markedly quieter, as Caitlin Cannon put tie dyed shirts on hangars.
“Shopping night is a big night,” Cannon said. “Some people come in on Candelight Walk and return for the shopping night.
Merchants will have an array of discounts, giveaways and raffles.
According to Gallup economists, consumer spending is expected to stay at near-record lows even as consumers started to spend before Thanksgiving.
Self-reported weekly spending, including gasoline, meals out and in store, retail and online, was up $7 per person compared to Oct. 25. Spending is still down $5 from $74 per week one year ago.
Spending in the holiday could drop as Americans are expected to spend $740 on gifts this year as compared to an estimate of $801 in October 2008. By November 2008, that number dropped to $616 and rose slightly to $639 in the first week of December 2008.
Since 2003, the guess shoppers make in November is lower than the answer given in December.
Still, people are buying , and shipping.
UPS announced Nov. 9 that the company sought 50,000 temporary workers. FedEx expects to hire 14,000 temporary workers to handle the season.
Buying online can be sustainable in the sense that catalogs are not printed and personal gasoline is not burned driving from store to store.
Even the items can be sustainable.
ToGoWare.com offers metal lunch carriers and bamboo cutlery to cut down on the hordes of throw away plastic forks, knives and spoons tossed each day.
Reuseable bags.com offers metal and Pyrex straws as well as the usual plethora of grocery bags.
Don’t forget Beyondbags.com, reusable produce bags designed in Highlands Ranch.
Then there is a movement to stop Black Friday in its standing in line tracks and get those shoppers, and their dollars into local tills.
The Mile High Business Alliance is also focusing on mom-and-pop stores with a buy local push. The alliance said that Coloradans spent $12.7 billion during the holidays. The group hopes to move part of that money into a local economy.
“Where we spend money really does matter,” said Mickki Langston, director of Mile High Business Alliance. “The $100 spent at Target or the mall is different from $100 spent at Tattered Cover.”
That $100 will circulate at least three times in the local economy, Langston said. Local businesses employ local people, tend to shop other local businesses and pay taxes companies based elsewhere might not pay.
“Local businesses help us build a sustainable, resilient local economy,” Langston said.
Supporting a small business in town is not necessarily saying no to the big box world.
The alliance is saying buy local first.
“Buying local first isn’t anti-big business or anti-somewhere else,” Langston said. “Its about having what your community needs, and sustaining the people and resources on the planet.”
The Mile High Business Alliance will kick off Buy Local Week with a party and concert at 6 p.m., Nov. 28 at Swallow Hill Music Association, 71 E. Yale Ave., Denver. The concert starts at 8 p.m. with Chris Daniels and Cliff Eberhardt.
Last year, Jdimytai Damour, 34, a Walmart greeter was crushed to death by Black Friday crowds in Long Island, N.Y., that broke down locked doors and rushed into the store.
Despite this, the advertising term door buster is still in play.
On Black-Friday.net, readers can get the scoop on major sales with retailers, including copies of sale fliers, and coupons to use with ordering online.
Cybermonday.net trumpets its value site as “just like Black Friday , except you can do your holiday shopping at work.”
Both have user-submitted deals.
Need a laptop for $300? Keep an eye out — entry-level netbooks are selling as low as $128.
Dealnews.com allows members to set up alerts on particular items.
Cellular phone service providers are offering deals to get people in the door or on the site.
AT&T, which enjoys a customer base through an exclusive deal with iPhone, is offering buy-one-get-one free deals on several other phones, including smart phones from Samsung, Sony, Ericsson and Nokia.
While AT&T gets a bump in customers as each iPhone is released, the December holidays pull in the shoppers.
“We expect constant traffic all season long,” said Brooke Burgess, spokesperson for AT&T.
Down on Main Street, brick and mortar businesses are enticing custom with events and specials. the Historic Downtown Littleton Merchants are holding a shopping night Dec. 5.
Savory Spice Shop on Main Street in Littleton, was crowded Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Men came in with lists, or to pick up orders made by wives. Other men were with young teenage sons selecting spices for the youngsters’ first try at a Thanksgiving dinner.
The aisles were crowded with more than 20 people in the tiny shop and the chatter was of food.
“We’ll be this busy through the season,” said Denise Herner, manager of Savory Spice Shop.
Willow, An Artisan’s Market was markedly quieter, as Caitlin Cannon put tie dyed shirts on hangars.
“Shopping night is a big night,” Cannon said. “Some people come in on Candelight Walk and return for the shopping night.
Merchants will have an array of discounts, giveaways and raffles.
According to Gallup economists, consumer spending is expected to stay at near-record lows even as consumers started to spend before Thanksgiving.
Self-reported weekly spending, including gasoline, meals out and in store, retail and online, was up $7 per person compared to Oct. 25. Spending is still down $5 from $74 per week one year ago.
Spending in the holiday could drop as Americans are expected to spend $740 on gifts this year as compared to an estimate of $801 in October 2008. By November 2008, that number dropped to $616 and rose slightly to $639 in the first week of December 2008.
Since 2003, the guess shoppers make in November is lower than the answer given in December.
Still, people are buying , and shipping.
UPS announced Nov. 9 that the company sought 50,000 temporary workers. FedEx expects to hire 14,000 temporary workers to handle the season.
Buying online can be sustainable in the sense that catalogs are not printed and personal gasoline is not burned driving from store to store.
Even the items can be sustainable.
ToGoWare.com offers metal lunch carriers and bamboo cutlery to cut down on the hordes of throw away plastic forks, knives and spoons tossed each day.
Reuseable bags.com offers metal and Pyrex straws as well as the usual plethora of grocery bags.
Don’t forget Beyondbags.com, reusable produce bags designed in Highlands Ranch.
Then there is a movement to stop Black Friday in its standing in line tracks and get those shoppers, and their dollars into local tills.
The Mile High Business Alliance is also focusing on mom-and-pop stores with a buy local push. The alliance said that Coloradans spent $12.7 billion during the holidays. The group hopes to move part of that money into a local economy.
“Where we spend money really does matter,” said Mickki Langston, director of Mile High Business Alliance. “The $100 spent at Target or the mall is different from $100 spent at Tattered Cover.”
That $100 will circulate at least three times in the local economy, Langston said. Local businesses employ local people, tend to shop other local businesses and pay taxes companies based elsewhere might not pay.
“Local businesses help us build a sustainable, resilient local economy,” Langston said.
Supporting a small business in town is not necessarily saying no to the big box world.
The alliance is saying buy local first.
“Buying local first isn’t anti-big business or anti-somewhere else,” Langston said. “Its about having what your community needs, and sustaining the people and resources on the planet.”
The Mile High Business Alliance will kick off Buy Local Week with a party and concert at 6 p.m., Nov. 28 at Swallow Hill Music Association, 71 E. Yale Ave., Denver. The concert starts at 8 p.m. with Chris Daniels and Cliff Eberhardt.
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MW21Charlotte wrote on Feb 1, 2010 7:59 PM: