Black Friday Shopper Spending Jumps 19%

Black Friday Shopper Spending Jumps 19%
But Traffic Down at Bricks-and-Mortar Retail Outlets
By Mya Frazier

Published: November 27, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- Traffic for Black Friday declined by 3.4 percent to 140 million people, but spending jumped nearly 19% to $360.15 over last year, according to the National Retail Federation.

Despite packed parking lots and long lines, the shopping stampede didn't benefit all retailers the same.
Photo Credit: AP


Up 19%
Americans spent an average of $360.15 per person last weekend, some 19% more than on the weekend after Thanksgiving the prior year, according to the NRF. Despite packed parking lots and long lines, the stampede didn't benefit all retailers the same. Traffic dropped by double digits at discount stores, including Wal-Mart, declining to 49.6% from 60.7% in 2005.

As a result, Wal-Mart, despite aggressive discounting and an early holiday-advertising campaign, just one day after Black Friday warned that its same-store sales will actually fall 0.1% when it reports its final November numbers later this week.

Traffic declines
Traffic also dipped at department stores, to 38.8% of shoppers vs. 47% in 2005. It was the same story at specialty retailers and clothing stores, which saw overall traffic drop to 37.5%, compared to 41.2% in 2005.

So how do analysts reconcile the traffic declines in these retail channels with an overall increase in spending?

With gas prices down and consumer confidence higher than a year ago, shoppers were less willing to jump through hoops for deals, and more consumers shopped online, where sales on Black Friday grew to an average $82, up from $70.80 per consumer in 2005.

"Consumers are more purposely shopping," said Gary Drenik, an analyst with Columbus-based Big Research. "There's less this mentality of 'I've got to go out and shop 15 different places in one day.' This year, many went to only a handful of stores instead."

Surgical strike
This shift in buying behavior and retail traffic patterns reflects the increasing power of internet-gleaned information, said Pat Conroy, an analyst with Deloitte. "Time-pressed consumers are doing more research online and they are more surgical in how they shop," he said.

This more information-rich shopping style, and how retailers respond, will separate the winners and losers this holiday season. "Those that have a strong and seamless multichannel offering will have the advantage," he added.

In fact, the busiest bricks-and-mortar retail site on Black Friday was Wal-Mart.com, with 3.2 billion unique visitors, followed by Target.com with 2.3 billion and BestBuy.com with 1.6 billion, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.

Despite problems of intermittent shutdowns reported at Wal-Mart.com on Black Friday, the season and online battle is far from over. "The hiccup was the website shutdown, in some ways that was a good thing because there were a lot of people trying to get there," Mr. Conroy said. "It shows some demand that was aimed at Wal-Mart and their promotions and discounts."

Cyber Monday
And despite technical problems, Wal-Mart came out swinging this Cyber Monday, launching a five-day sales blitz on its website, focusing on the hot electronics sector and toys and offering everything from digital cameras for $49 and roller-coaster play sets for $35, as well as cashmere scarves for $16.88.

The final word on Black Friday won't be known until Nov. 30, when most retailers -- including Costco, J.C. Penney, Sears and Target -- report final numbers for the critical month.

And despite the fierce battle online, none of the top retailers, including Wal-Mart and Target, have yet to break out e-commerce sales in financial results.

PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A REASON

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.


Some people come into your life for a SEASON,because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.!


LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.


Thank you for being a part of my life , whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

Send this to every friend that you have on-line,including the person who sent it to you.

0 Replies - you may need to work on your "peopleskills"
2 Replies - you are nice but probably need to be more outgoing
4 Replies - you have picked your friends well
6 Replies - you are downright popular
8 Replies or More - you are totally awesome (and that's probably why you're on MY list)

Web Sites Not Liable for Posts by Others

Web Sites Not Liable for Posts by Others
Monday November 20, 9:08 pm ET
By Jordan Robertson, AP Business Writer
California Supreme Court Rules Web Sites Are Not Liable for Libel in Third-Party Postings

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Web sites that publish inflammatory information written by other parties cannot be sued for libel, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday.
The ruling in favor of free online expression was a victory for a San Diego woman who was sued by two doctors for posting an allegedly libelous e-mail on two Web sites.

Some of the Internet's biggest names, including Amazon.com, America Online Inc., eBay Inc., Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc., took the defendant's side out of concern that a ruling against her would expose them to liability.

In reversing an appellate court's decision, the state Supreme Court ruled that the Communications Decency Act of 1996 provides broad immunity from defamation lawsuits for people who publish information on the Internet that was gathered from another source.

"The prospect of blanket immunity for those who intentionally redistribute defamatory statements on the Internet has disturbing implications," Associate Justice Carol A. Corrigan wrote in the majority opinion. "Nevertheless ... statutory immunity serves to protect online freedom of expression and to encourage self-regulation, as Congress intended."

Unless Congress revises the existing law, people who claim they were defamed in an Internet posting can only seek damages from the original source of the statement, the court ruled.

The case centers on an opinion piece sent via e-mail to Ilena Rosenthal, a woman's health advocate who runs various message boards and promotes alternative medicine.

The scathing missive, written by Tim Bolen, accused Dr. Terry Polevoy, of Canada, of stalking a Canadian radio producer and included various invectives directed at Polevoy and Dr. Stephen Barrett, of Pennsylvania. The two doctors operated Web sites devoted to exposing health frauds.

After Rosenthal posted the piece to two newsgroups, Polevoy and Barrett sued her, Bolen and others for libel. The lawsuit accuses Rosenthal of republishing the information after being warned it was false and defamatory.

The trial court ruled that Rosenthal's actions were protected, but an appeals court decided she was not shielded from liability as a distributor of the information. The state Supreme Court's ruling reversed that decision.

Legal experts said the ruling follows similar decisions in other states designed to protect free and open access to information.

"Even though the court recognizes that it could have unfortunate consequences, they're saying that Congress controls this area," said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond.

Christopher Grell, the lawyer for Polevoy and Barrett, said they have not decided whether to appeal the decision.

"What this decision does is, it basically promotes the distribution of offensive material, which I can't imagine Congress ever intended," he said.

Females Aged 25-34 Prepare For Black Friday On The Web

Females Aged 25-34 Prepare For Black Friday On The Web
Hitwise recently announced that the market share of US Internet visits for the top five Black Friday advertising websites increased 167 percent for the week ending November 11, 2006 versus the same week last year. The websites showing the strongest growth were BlackFridayAds.com, up 456 percent and The Black Friday, up 425.

Black Friday is the nick name given to the day after Thanksgiving in the United States and the "official" kickoff to the Christmas shopping season. "Black Friday" was originally an inside term amongst retailers, as that was the day their books went from the red to the black. It consists of a combination of people being in the Holiday mood following Thanksgiving, and stores offering tremendous bargains on a number of items for a couple of hours. This year's sale falls on November 24th, and most "door buster" offers run from 6am-11am, while others run throughout the weekend.

The Black Friday advertising website receiving the largest market share of US Internet visits for the week ending November 11, 2006, was Black Friday Advertisements which received 37.65 percent of US Internet visits to the top five Black Friday sites. Black Friday @ GottaDeal.com was the second, followed by Black Friday.info.

Hitwise Clickstream data show that each of the five Black Friday sites sent more than 50 percent of downstream traffic to websites in the Hitwise Shopping and Classifieds category, suggesting that users are finding deals on the Black Friday sites and then linking to retailer websites for more information.

Name
Market Share
Percent of Downstream Traffic to Shopping & Classifieds Websites

Black Friday Advertisements
37.65%
50.88%

Black Friday @ GottaDeal
27.90%
65.61%

BlackFriday.info
17.74%
78.94%

BlackFridayAds.com
9.75%
64.07%

Black Friday Ads
6.96%
54.31%

Source: Hitwise


Note: Data based on market share of visits for the week ending 11/11/06 from a sample of 10 million US Internet users

LeeAnn Prescott, research director, Hitwise, said "Consumers have clearly caught on to the idea of planning their Black Friday shopping by using the Black Friday websites to find the best deals for holiday gifts..."

Visitors to the Black Friday advertising websites were predominantly females aged 25-34, according to Hitwise. For the four week ending November 11, 2006,

67% of visitors to Black Friday @ GottaDeal were female
60% to BlackFriday.info
65% to BlackFridayAds.com,
56% to BFads.net
62% to The Black Friday
Visitors between the ages of 25 and 34 were largest age group for visitors to BlackFriday.info, BlackFridayAds.com, Black Friday @ GottaDeal.com, and BFads.net, comprising between 36 and 41 percent of visits for the four weeks ending November 11, 2006.

The Black Friday website had 38 percent of its visits coming from those aged 18-24, and only 31 percent of visitors age 24-34.

Mayor urges attendance at town budget meeting

Mayor urges attendance at town budget meeting




To the editor:

I urge all residents of the Villages of Monroe, Harriman and Kiryas Joel to attend the public hearing on Monday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. to show your disgust as to why the villages are being saddled with a 13.2 percent increase on a home assessed at 50,000 and a 15.7 percent on a home assessed at 75,000 while those outside town will see a 4.7 percent on 50,000 home and 5.2 percent on 75,000 assessed home.

Our town elected officials should be ashamed to put the burden on the villages that do not put a burden on town services.

Please join me in protecting our taxes and show our town board that we will not stand for it. The meeting will take place at the Senior Center on Mine Road.

Let’s stand as one and demand changes to the proposed town budget.

Mayor John M. Karl III


Village of Monroe



Print this story

Email this story

Warwick voters approve transfer tax by 237 votes

Warwick voters approve transfer tax by 237 votes
Tax will take effect April 1, 2007, By Linda Smith Hancharick
Warwick — Nearly 7,000 voters came out to vote Tuesday in what is called an “off-year election.”
But it wasn’t “off year” here in Warwick. No, the campaign to approve or deny a Community Preservation program was the number one topic on many people’s minds for the last few months.
Voters approved the Community Preservation Fund by a vote of 3,574 - 3,337. The 237-vote margin shows just how divided the community is on what amounts to a transfer tax on real property. About 35 percent of the town’s 19,544 registered voters went to the polls.
Supervisor Michael Sweeton, one of the original writers of this proposal, was happy with the result.
“I knew it would be close,” Sweeton said. “The issue of taxes are on everyone’s minds. We deal with taxes every day and understand the concerns. Ultimately, the test of time will show this will be good for Warwick.”
Sweeton said he was also happy with the turnout for an off-year election. Other places had average turnouts but Warwick’s turnout was pretty high.
The supervisor, along with others who devised the plan, went to Albany in 2003 requesting that home rule be granted to allow Warwick to decide its own fate. That would allow local voters to decide whether to impose a tax on real estate and use the money to preserve open space by buying the development rights to farms. It wasn’t until two years later that Albany came through, thanks to a bill by state Sen. Thomas Morahan, R-New City, and Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt, R-Greenwood Lake.
Opponents say tax
will hurt middle class
The proposition had its detractors. James Marsden, owner of James Marsden Real Estate on Main Street, was one resident against the transfer tax, not because he is against preserving open space, he said, but because he felt the issues and effects of this law weren’t really addressed.
“They based their numbers on the market two years ago,” Marsden said. “You’ll see them raising the percentage. They’ll say this isn’t raising enough money and they’ll be back for more next year.”
That’s not going to happen, according to Sweeton.
“This is a New York State legislative act. It is a law that amends the finance law,” Sweeton said. “Going back four years we said ¾ of one percent is a reasonable number. Every member of the town board still feels that way. We can’t just change that. We would have to go through the whole process again. No one has that intent.”
Marsden said this is already a slumping market. Adding a sales tax to buying houses is going to hurt the working guy.
“It is just another obstacle to sale,” Marsden said. “This is going to hurt the working guy who wants to sell his house and the middle class guy trying to buy one.”
‘When fear gets out’
Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard said he understands people’s concerns but is “very pleased” with the result.
“I think the opposition to this had more to do with people’s concern with the cost of living here, not preserving open space,” said Newhard. “What I sense is it was fear based. When fear gets out there, it infiltrates quickly and it is tough to undo it. We have such a diverse community with diverse politics and vantage points. I thought it would be close.”
The money raised through the fund, just like the $9.5 million raised through the Purchase of Development Rights referendum in 2000, will go toward preserving open space throughout the town. The new law will allow the town to impose a .75 percent tax on all real estate transactions within the town of Warwick. The first $100,000 of the selling price of a home would not be subject to the tax. The first $50,000 of the price of land would be exempt as well. Warwick has preserved more than 1,200 acres of land so far with commitments from landowners for 1,100 more.
The tax will not take effect until April 1, 2007, according to Sweeton, after a mandatory 60-day waiting period. It must be implemented at the beginning of a quarter.
In August, the town created a plan which includes properties that are eligible for preservation. None of the properties are mandated to participate. A copy of the plan is in the town clerk’s office for review and can be found on the town’s Web site at www.townofwarwick.org. Properties listed include open space, trails, aquifer recharge areas, recreation areas, historic sites, and agricultural sites.
Time will tell
Both Newhard and Sweeton foresee a better Warwick thanks to this new law. Marsden thinks it will have a negative effect on the middle class here in Warwick.
“What effect will this have on the Warwick market?” Marsden asked. “Only time will tell.”

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Endorsing Hall over Kelly

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Endorsing Hall over Kelly
Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - The leadership of the Village of Kiryas Joel is backing Hall over Kelly.

According to Isac Weinberger, of Brooklyn, the Jewish community in the town of Kiryas Joel has backed Democratic challenger John Hall over Republican Sue Kelly in the 19th Congressional District, despite the lobbying of Mayor Michael Bloomberg for Kelly.
Eliot Spitzer and Hillary Clinton, Isac says, lobbied the community for Hall.

Calhoun states platform

Calhoun states platform
I write in response to your endorsement in the 96th Assembly District.

Serving proudly in Albany for 16 years, I have been a prime sponsor of more than 100 pieces of successful legislation. My bills allow our American flag to fly proudly over condominiums, babies to be protected from maternal AIDS, volunteers to receive property exemptions, and I helped create the STAR program.

I have picketed with union members, secured the Project Labor Agreement at Stewart, caused an unconstitutional K.J. school district to be overturned, and fought for the soon-to-be installed high-speed E-ZPass at Woodbury. I oppose both the Kiryas Joel pipeline and the intrusive NYRI power line proposal.

When I vote, I carefully weigh your views. I am pro-choice but vehemently opposed to partial-birth abortion. My endorsements include PEF, NYSUT, NYS Nurses Association, NFIB, nine police organizations, the Conservative Party and recognition in the Farm Bureau's "Circle of Friends."

As ranking member on the Assembly Real Property Tax Committee, I've conducted hearings on school tax reform, studied other states' actions, and know that to be successful, we must gain the support of NYC legislators where they don't vote on school budgets or levy school taxes. We must tighten quasi-religious exemptions, eliminate ALL unfunded mandates, dedicate Medicaid savings toward school aid and freeze all seniors' taxes at age 70.

Casting your vote for Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun on Nov. 7 will keep an independent champion of the people fighting for YOU!

Nancy Calhoun

member of Assembly

Blooming Grove