Holiday shopping blitz begins

The 2008 Christmas shopping season officially kicks off Friday, which is expected to be less than stellar for retailers nationwide.

Despite the nation's gloomy economic forecasts, Kinston and Lenoir County retailers are still optimistic about Black Friday and the following four weeks that lead to Christmas Day.

Several local retailers will open their businesses as early as 5 a.m. Friday, giving shoppers ample time to find the best bargains.

This year marks Kinston's Riverside Bicycles and Outdoor Sports second annual Christmas shopping season. The business is located at 210 W. Gordon St.

Riverside Bicycles and Outdoor Sports Manager Bert Statum said Wednesday he expects most Christmas shoppers will wait until the last minute to buy the perfect gift for their family and friends.

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Statum designed a Web page for his business that highlights savings on his bicycles, kayaks and disc golf equipment.

"Everything we have is on sale right now," he said. "We have 250 items in our inventory."

Another Kinston business, Photographic Expressions at 127 W. Gordon St., is also looking forward to Black Friday and the remaining holiday shopping season. Several sales promotions were offered in November at the business, including a 25 percent discount on family wall portraits.

Sue Moody, Photographic Expressions spokeswoman, said this week gift buyers sometimes are looking for unique gifts to give on Christmas Day, such as family portraits.

"We hope to sell all the portraits we can this year," Moody said.

Several local retailers, including the Neuse Sport Shop, will offer free gift-wrapping services this year. The business located on the U.S. 70 Bypass will offer the free gift wrapping service from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 2 during its 20 percent discount sale on all ladies' items.

Both Wal-Mart and Kmart in Kinston will open their doors early Friday morning for holiday shoppers. Wal-Mart, at 4101 W. Vernon Ave., officially kicks off Black Friday at 5 a.m., while its rival Kmart, at 1628 N. Queen St., starts its seasonal sales at 6 a.m.

Both retailers said Wednesday they are hopeful that sales will at least match last year's Christmas sales.

Wal-Mart manager Lisa Howard highlighted her store's efforts to meet shoppers' needs Friday.

"We have had great advertising on all our holiday sales," she said.

Like Wal-Mart, the local Kmart is using seasonal workers to help assist with this year's holiday shopping blitz.

Cynthia Fields, Kmart manager, said she expects business to be "booming" this weekend.

Another local retailer, Staples, at 4150 W. Vernon Ave., is opening its doors at 6 a.m. Friday. Store manager Richard Vanmeter said his employees are excited about the pending holiday shopping season.

"Black Friday is traditionally the biggest day for shopping each year," Vanmeter said. "We are hoping for the best."

Santa Claus will make his first appearance of the holiday season Friday morning at Vernon Park Mall. Mall spokeswoman Treva Holloway said the mall's doors will open at 4:30 a.m. with most businesses scheduled to open by 5 a.m.

Holloway added the businesses at Vernon Park Mall will feature Black Friday discounts on merchandise.

The Kinston/Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce is pitching in this year, encouraging local residents to shop locally for their Christmas gifts.

Executive Director Laura Lee Sylvester said she is hoping to see good sales results for the local economy during the holiday shopping season.

"The city and county needs to rally around our own businesses and spend money locally," Sylvester said. "The economy is still a challenge for us all."

A National Retail Federation survey showed this week that shoppers will spend $24.9 billion this holiday season on gift cards, which is nearly $2 billion less than in 2007.

"Since gift cards never go on sale, some price-conscious shoppers will be passing up gift cards in favor of holiday bargains," National Retail Federation President Tracy Mullin said in a press release. "Retailers may need to make minor adjustments to holiday plans as fewer people may be hitting the stores in January to redeem gift cards."

Another survey from the Washington D.C.-based National Retail Federation conducted by BIG research shows that up to 128 million people said they plan to shop Friday, Saturday or Sunday, which is down 7 million people from 2007.

Lower gas prices may have some impact on consumers' buying behavior this week, according to the National Retail Federation. For the first time since March 2005, the average price of unleaded gasoline is $1.91 per gallon.

Mullin said this week that most retailers realize low prices are key in getting consumers into stores this holiday season.

"This could be the most heavily-promoted Black Friday in history," Mullin said in a press release.

People who don't want to fight Black Friday crowds could find stores' aisles less crowded on Monday, also known as Cyber Monday. Mullin said Cyber Monday is the traditional kick-off for the online holiday shopping season.

According to the National Retail Federation, nearly 84 percent of retailers nationwide will have special promotions for Cyber Monday, as compared to nearly 73 percent in 2007.

Cyber Monday was first established in 2005 after online retailers noticed a trend of people shopping online on the Monday after Thanksgiving.

"As shoppers focus on price this holiday season, online retailers will be extremely competitive to offer the very best deals," Shop.org Executive Director Scott Silverman said in a press release.

Chris Lavender can be reached at (252) 559-1078 or clavender@freedomenc.com.

Black Friday selected store opening hours:
Wal-Mart 5 a.m.
Kmart 6 a.m.
Staples 6 a.m.
Riverside Bicycles and Outdoor Sports 7 a.m.
Neuse Sport Shop 6 a.m.
Vernon Park Mall 4:30 a.m.
JCPenny at the mall 4 a.m.
H. Stadiem 9:30 a.m.
Photographic Expressions by appointment