. 1 :1 . L December 6, 2002 c 01/62Pgges ®; 'Penn Sttitc ri it' St - 1407r Pll,6riCatietl• EC ~ Vol. eLnti L'44, -L LNIo. 6 Shopping facts, tips, gift ideas for students Behrend students may be too old for Santa, but they're never too old for holiday gifts. by Alyssa Peconi and Jenna Dominick staff writers The holiday season is upon us once again Thanksgiving has come and gone, and Christmas is just around the corner. With six fewer shopping days this year, consumers are frantically using their purchasing power many different ways. The percentage of people buying from infomercials increased to 50 percent, up from 30 percent the previous year. The reasons for this increase were lack of availability from elsewhere, and also convenience. Speaking of convenience, more and more people are shopping online now. Studies show that online sales are up from last year. The Friday after Thanksgiving is when sales skyrocketed. Dubbed "Black Friday," companies saw their acCOunting books go from red to black as consumers racked up $231.5 million on Friday alone. Online companies offer free shipping and orders can be placed later, guaranteeing of on time delivery. Experts say that the peak of online shopping will be around Dec. 12-13, and orders will drop off around Dec. 19. Friends and Significant Others The Saturday before Christmas is supposedly Shop for a poster of their favorite actor or the busiest shopping day of the year. However, musician on allposters.com, or give the gift of a in the three days following Turkey Day, the candy or flower assortment from 1-800- public spent $272.1 million in stores flowers.com. DVDs, movies, and CDs are also nationwide. These numbers are up 67 percent great, inexpensive gifts. In light of the cold from last year. weather, hats, gloves, and scarf sets are in order. Experts are not sure as to whether or not For a college student, phone calling cards are a consumers will spend more this holiday season. great stocking-stuffer, and PSU apparel spreads About one-third will spend less, but individual seasonal and school spirit. And to keep friends spending may increase as much as three to five occupied, entertained, and up-to-date, give them percent, they predict. The average shopper will a subscription to their favorite magazine. spend $1,656, up from $1,564 in 2001. Following some guidelines can make the shopping experience less stressful for the gift giver and more enjoyable for the receiver. First, make a list of people who will be receiving gifts. NEWS 1-4 ADS 8 EDITORIAL 5 CALENDAR 9 NATIONAL CAMPUS NEWS 6-7 FEATURES 10 the Beacon's h,oriday shop til you drop Inside Next, plan out possible ideas and also a spending budget. Keep in mind shipping charges for catalog and online purchases. Scout out stores and shop around; don't be afraid to go out of town for gifts. For example, check out the Prime Outlets in Grove City, and on the way, explore the town of Volant, near Grove City. The list inevitably includes hard-to-shop-for people, from parents and grandparents, to friends and significant others. Some gift hints and tips to help make the shopping season brighter. Parents and Grandparents A themed gift basket is always appreciated. Bath supplies are needed and thoughtful, while a beverage basket is enjoyable, too. Put in some tea or coffee, a mug, and various flavorings, and voila, instant gift. Books are a classic idea; find out what the person is interested in, or a gift certificate is nice. Household items are useful, as a decorative pillow or throw or candles would be charming. Another idea is a picture with frame. To make it more personal, have the frame engraved with a special message. Or encourage the receiver to take their own pictures with a new camera, such as the new FUJI Ql. IT comes in various colors and offers drop-in loading film and is about $4O. continued on page 4 HUMOR 11 A&E 12 SPORTS 1-48 Black Friday turns green with record profits by Lauren Packer staff writer Discount shoppers took retailers by storm on Black Friday. Armed with circulars, bonus coupons, and two-way radios, holiday shoppers blew away the predictions of a sluggish start to the holiday shopping season. A climbing jobless rate, tension with Iraq, decreased consumer spending, and the West Coast port shut down were not enough to keep consumers away. The shoppers lined up outside discount stores to take advantage of the extremely low prices. Others lined up early to buy the must-have gifts of this season: Nintendo Game Boy Advance, DVD players, and Bratz dolls. Discount retail giant Wal-Mart had a record setting day, boasting $1.43 billion nationally. That figure is up from $1.25 billion last year. J.C'. Penney &. Co. also had record sales on Black Friday. The National Retail Federation predicts a four percent rise in sales this holiday, down slightly from the 5.6 percent increase predicted last year. Other analysts aren't so confident in the market season is six days shorter than last year thanks ti or in consumer spending and predict a modest late Thanksgiving. Fear of a U.S. led war with two percent increase in the holiday season. Iraq has many consumers resting uneasy. The Friday after Thanksgiving is termed "Black Black Friday isn't necessarily a good forecast of Friday" because it is a day when retailers move out of red debt and into black profits in their accounting books. Retailers are hoping at least to break even this holiday season. The lack of trust in the market has hurt retailers already. Some FRIDAY stores have cut back on their stock merchandise in order to prevent having to lower prices drastically after Christmas to get rid of the leftover Contact Us NEWSROOM: 898-6488 E-MAIL: Offices are located FAX: 898-6019 behrcolls@aol.corn downstairs in the Reed Union Building inventory But what is it that makes Black Friday so effective, especially in this year's tough market? According to CNN, the one thing that consumers want this shaky holiday season is bargain basement prices coupled with promotional giveaways. And so far, retailers have met the consumers' demands. Wal-Mart advertised a 27-inch television for $149. DVD players and other electronic devices had their prices cut in half to attract customers. Retail clothing giant J.C. Penney opened at 6 a.m. with early-bird specials to draw customers from the discount shoppers of stores like Wal-Mart. Target, and Toys "R" Us. J.C. Penney was able to slash prices on all items in store, even offering 50 percent off all leather coats and jackets. The store threw in - a free Mickey Mouse snow globe for customers who braved the early hours and chaotic atmosphere of Black Friday shopping. The Bon-Ton offered 10-15 percent savings on sale prices and gave away $l5 to the first 300 customers. But the good start to the holiday season doesn't necessarily mean it will stay strong. This shopping continued on page 4
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