Wednesday, November 21, 2012
"Buy Nothing Day" is the same day is Black Friday, pitting consumer and anti-consumer cultures against each other.
For some local residents, Black Friday is a day to avoid shopping. Buy Nothing Day, like Black Friday, is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving—but instead of shopping at 4 a.m. (or earlier) in an effort to get good deals, some residents are staying home and spending time with their families Friday. One person on Lorton Patch’s Facebook page said she won’t even buy gas for her car on Friday. However, she said, “I’m participating in Small Business Saturday. All my gifts this year will either by homemade or bought from a local small business.” Another Lorton Patch Facebook fan said she has "never gone shopping on Black Friday and won't start now." Buy Nothing Day started in the early 1990s. “Until we challenge the entrenched values of …
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Police officers will deploy next week in an effort to prevent shoplifting and other crimes; safety tips for shopping during Black Friday.
It’s that time of year again. Consumers are busting down the doors of retail stores everywhere. Unfortunately, the holiday season is the perfect time for criminals to be on the lookout for freebies. People are indulging in holiday shopping, and it’s not uncommon for the crime rate to increase throughout the season. In preparation for the increase in shoppers and crime in the Northern Virginia area, the Fairfax County Police Department will send out their Retail Anti-Theft teams starting next week. “Every holiday season FCPD deploys our Retail Anti-Theft teams,” said Lucy Caldwell, public information officer for the department. “These are officers who are assigned specifically to malls and retail outlets throughout our county. Some of these…
Monday, November 19, 2012
Northern Virginia's economy is relatively strong, but the looming threat of sequestration has some shoppers nervous.
Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, holiday parties—it's an expensive time of year. According to the National Retail Federation's national holiday consumer spending survey (conducted by BIGinsight), the average holiday shopper will spend $749.51 on gifts, décor, holiday cards, entertaining and other things this season. That's a minor increase from $740.57 — the amount shoppers spent last year. Two-thirds of respondents to a recent poll by the NPD Group said they “plan to spend about the same” as last year, while 10 percent planned to “spend more.” Unlike other areas of the country, the fiscal cliff and sequestration are really on the minds of thousands of federal employees and government contractors. With that in mind, will you be more…
Friday, December 2, 2011
Giving electronics as gifts can make you a terrific Santa, but with a bit of planning you can avoid making some expensive mistakes
From Black Friday to last-minute holiday sales, news reports to conversations around the watercooler --everyone is talking about high tech gifts. There are high ticket presents that are purely for entertainment to essential tools for students and business people. Before you rush to buy a tech gift there are a few things to consider to avoid expensive mistakes.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
The power of being just a click away
It's here. Winding in like a tidal wave, after a long awaited Thanksgiving break Black Friday arrived with the same pomp and rush as last year. However, there is a new day that could crush Black Friday as the new busiest shopping day of the year, on a Monday no less. The Monday after Thanksgiving is called Cyber Monday and for many, it is a gold mine of savings and a convenient way to go holiday shopping. Beginning holiday shopping for many means hitting the malls at dawn the Friday after Thanksgiving, but an increasing number of shoppers will hit online retailers first thing tomorrow with the same expectation of scoring great deals. According to recent studies, online retailers expect millions of American shoppers to hit online stores …
PETER CHABRA
6:15 pm on Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Beth, tried to post our deal on Monday 11/19 but somehow every time I did it took me back to the register to ge $ 25.00 off my First Amex purchose on SBS....It might be why I'm the only family owned business to post a "deal" after you gave me the new link. Speaking of advertising in newspapers notice only the "big box stores can influence buyers the little guys depend on the very little … more ›