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Volume 3 - Issue 46
12/1/2009
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Black Friday Special Edition: RSR Goes Shopping
From Your Friends at RSR Research
In what has now become an annual tradition, the four managing partners at RSR – Nikki, Paula, Brian and Steve - head out on the day after Thanksgiving to report on shopping conditions in each of our unique corners of the United States. By the time of this year’s publication, some “early” numbers have started to roll in from a wide range of sources. Despite a lack of consensus on overall spend, both the classically optimistic and the perennially pessimistic are calling Black Friday a moderate success for retailers. Further, all accounts cite higher customer counts and bargain purchase volumes.
We hope you do enjoy our individual perspectives from Denver, Miami, Sacramento (with a live-feed from Alaska this year!) and Boston. It’s a fun little annual project we look forward to and this year, in particular, was a little more heartwarming than any of us expected.
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Denver, CO: Who Goes Shopping at 4AM?
By Nikki Baird, Managing Partner
Yes, it is 3:45AM. Even the street light is asleep, leaving my street in darkness. Orion wheels overhead, brilliant in the blackest night sky I have seen in a while. I live south of Denver, CO, in what is technically considered "high altitude," which means the stars always look brighter here. While it is beautiful, I wish I was not looking at it at this very moment.
My neighbor, Marisa, is a school teacher, with four kids ranging from high-schooler to toddler. She has invited me to go with her on her 4AM jaunt... Read more
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Boston, MA: From Cambridge, with Love
By Steve Rowen, Managing Partner
For my part, a true Bostonian, there was only one place to go. No suburban mall would do, it was the CambridgeSide Galleria or bust. The mall itself opened at 7AM, but the parking garage had opened at 1AM to accommodate customers who would be visiting any of the anchor stores (Best Buy, Macy’s, Sears) that had elected for 4 and 5AM opening times.
In my defense, I meant to get there by 8AM, but the State Police Cruiser... Read more
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Roseville, CA and Wasilla, AK: Making a List, Checking It Twice
By Brian Kilcourse, Managing Partner
People are making it really easy for us”, said the Sears appliance salesperson, “instead of asking a bunch of questions, they just point at something and say ‘I want this’. They’ve really done their homework and they know exactly what they want – they just come in, buy it, and get out.” That accurately summarizes RSR’s observations on Black Friday in Roseville, California (near Sacramento). Shoppers flocked to take advantage of “doorbuster” and Black Friday super-specials and often walked right past regularly priced and even promoted seasonal items in order to take advantage of the one-day bargains.
Although hot pricing was in abundance... Read more
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Miami, FL: A Perfect Storm, and a Mobility Mash-Up
By Paula Rosenblum, Managing Partner
If you’re a retailer doing business in the US, you know the name “Aventura.” It’s a city just north of Miami, but it’s also the name of a mall. Wikipedia reports Aventura Mall as the 5th largest in the country. The Mall has six or seven anchor stores (depending on whether or not you count Macy’s Home Furnishings) and is surrounded for several miles to the north and south by strip centers housing the likes of Best Buy, Target (2), Old Navy, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Barnes and Noble; you get the picture. Aventura is a shopping Mecca.
Mother Nature conspired to make Black Friday... Read more
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