Forget turkey, bargains real main course
A HARLEM MAN was so hungry for a bargain Thursday that he was willing to miss Thanksgiving dinner with his family.
Bryan Johnson was first in line outside the Best Buy in Brooklyn’s Gateway Plaza, a full 20 hours before its scheduled 5 p.m. opening Thursday.
Johnson, 32, had his eye on a 50-inch Sharp smart TV that was going for $179. He said he was shopping in Brooklyn because his wife’s family lives nearby.
“She’s cooking,” Johnson said. “She’s going to bring me a plate. If not, I’ll wait.”
Johnson said he had a strategy for dealing with other shoppers in line. He packs a lot of patience — and a folding chair.
“People are always trying to skip,” he said. “Just stand your ground, that’s all.”
Rashid Mamum, 40, owner of N Rico Cafe in the Bronx, came to Macy’s with his wife and son to enjoy the pre-Black Friday opening.
“It looked like it was a festival and we wanted to be a part of it. We wanted to come out and enjoy this. We ate our dinner already and immediately went shopping,” said Mamum.
“We got a lot of home appliances a waffle iron, toaster and some blankets ... I’m glad we came out, it was fun,” he said, holding up his bulging Macy’s bags.
In Brooklyn, Macy’s shoppers Mohammad Abdallat and Michael Haddadin, both 27, scored wallet-friendly deals on designer clothes.
“We knew there were offers for Black Friday,” Abdallat said, of why the two headed out Thursday night. He got a Tommy Hilfiger charcoal blazer on sale for $75, marked down from $300. Haddadin picked up Kenneth Cole suede shoes for a fraction of the usual price, he said.
Bronx resident Freddie Powell, 47, a stylist, took advantage of his Brooklyn Thanksgiving to pop into a Modell’s, where he picked up some on-sale thermals.
Even tourists who were in town to enjoy the holidays took some time for shopping.
“We’re here until Tuesday so why not take advantage of the plethora of stores?” said Josh Moshier, 28, who came with his wife Katelyn, 23, from Huntsville, Ala., to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
They cashed in on the 50% off deal at the Gap at Fifth Ave. and 54th St. Others shopped online while waiting for the cranberry sauce to thicken.
Analysts at Bain & Co., a data gathering company, predict Amazon will take half of the holiday season’s sales growth.
And Amazon is the top destination for people to begin holiday shopping, according to a study by market research firm NPD Group.
“The retailers are in survival mode. It’s about stealing each other’s market share,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at NPD. “Amazon is the Grinch. They’re stealing the growth.”
On Thursday, more than $360 million was spent online by 10 a.m., according Adobe, an analytics data firm. That number is up 17.6% from the prior year.
More than $30 billion has been spent online between Nov. 1 and Nov. 22, a growth of 17% over the same period last year.
But that didn’t seem to bother those shoppers willing to hunt down bargains the old-fashioned way — in brick-and-mortar storefronts.
Sophia Rudder, of Ocean Hill, was outside Target five hours before it opened, but her husband, Troy, appeared to have taken the mantra of “shop till you drop” a little too seriously.
“He wants to see what electronics they have, probably televisions,” Rudder said. “He wants a 70-inch.” But Tony needed a break first. “He’s right there,” Rudder said pointing to the chair next to her. “Sleeping.”
Negin Zarandi , 49, was shopping in Midtown with her 16-year-old daughter. The pair came from Los Angeles.
“I mostly shop online, I usually don’t go into the stores,” Zarandi said. But sometimes you want to feel the fabric. The halfoff deal certainly didn’t hurt.”
The man who was first in line at the Best Buy in Manhattan at 44th St. and Fifth Ave. turned up at 7 p.m. Wednesday to claim his coveted spot.
It’s the second year in a row that Army vet Dag Estrada, 60, beat the competition to be first through the doors. He’s hunting for a Sharp TV on sale for $179 — which would save him $320.
The native New Yorker came prepared by wearing four layers of clothes and sturdy snakeskin boots. He sat in a fold-out chair and survived overnight with hot coffee and a hot dog from the food cart across the street, he said.
Knowing where to buy the best items at the best prices is an essential New York skill, he added.
“It's about the challenge. Then you go home and celebrate, watch a DVD on your new TV,” he said. “Plus, you have a story to tell. It’s a hunter’s trophy.”