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Saving Money All Year So You Can Blow It On Black Friday
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 27, 2010
Modified Nov 27, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 27, 2010
Modified Nov 27, 2010
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Now that Black Friday is over, let's survey the damage some shoppers did. A 23-year-old student who had been camping outside at the Union Square Best Buy since Tuesday afternoon bought "a Sony laptop for $399, saving $300, and buy a 32-inch Samsung TV and Nintendo Wii, both for just $435, saving more than $300." He told the Post, "When I finally got in, it felt like the gates of heaven opened up. I had to miss a couple of days of school to be here."
The Daily News caught up with a school safety guard who was leaving the Atlantic Terminal Mall at 6 a.m. "with three televisions, a microwave, an inflatable bed, a cell phone, some towels and socks." She started shopping at 4:30 a.m., spending $1,200 (saving $600), "I struggle all year so I can do this. It's worth it. The deals are amazing.. I'm really happy with everything I bought. It's like Christmas started today." An 18-year-old McDonald's employee who skipped sleeping and headed to Woodbury Common and Midtown Manhattan for his deal "spent about $700 on Ralph Lauren shirts, Nike sneakers, Levi's jeans and Nautica shirts, saving $300." Even though he only has $100 left in his bank account, "I have a lot of the stuff I wanted to get at good prices."
Retailers and analysts say that store traffic seemed to be higher than last year's, and a retail consultant told Bloomberg News, "There’s no question that there is pent-up consumer demand that will drive retail growth this season. America is still a consumer-driven society, we just haven’t had the means to indulge."
Tagged
best buy
black
consumer
consumer culture
friday
retail
Shopping
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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