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Retailers: Black Friday sales look good

Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center stores had lines of shoppers Thanksgiving night

By Chris Sugidono 6 min read

KAHULUI -- Black Friday sales appeared to be up from last year as shoppers lined up outside several Maui stores and forced at least one retailer to remain open an extra hour on Thanksgiving into Friday morning.

Queen Ka'ahumanu Center opened Thursday night with long lines outside of a number of stores and "strong traffic flows" through anchor retailers Macy's and Sears, said Toni Rojas, vice president of business and community development, on Friday.

She said traffic was slower early Friday morning as shoppers flocked to deals at big box stores but picked up by mid- to late-morning.

"I definitely feel it was an increase in traffic from last year," Rojas said. "I think it's a sign of our economy, low unemployment rate and people feeling very confident."

About 35 stores of the 100-plus stores at the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center opened Thanksgiving night, with each one offering some sort of deal, including discounts, doorbusters or a gift with purchase.

One Eighty Maui offered its regular 30 percent off holiday deal Thursday night, promoting special releases in hats, T-shirts and hoodies. The store, which opened in 2004, had about 100 people waiting in line to get in.

"I think we had a line until one in the morning," owner Chris Akahoshi said. "We had to shut the door because we were only supposed to go to midnight. We went a little longer, but we had to be back here" at 6 a.m. the next day.

Akahoshi said sales appear to be up, thanks to local and online support from shoppers in Japan, Canada and the Mainland. He said he manages the Thanksgiving in-store deals by allowing just 10 people in at a time to give shoppers the freedom to pick out things "without a mad rush."

"We cover up the windows so you can't see in, and it gives it a more intimate feel," he said. "It's not just a come in and shop. It's sort of family friendly."

Shapers also faced large crowds with lines reaching Maui Tacos in the food court on the second-level of the center. Some doorbuster deals sold out within the first hour and traffic continued to hold steady Friday.

Store buyer Tasha Jahrmarkt said Thursday's deals and promotions have slowed Fridays, which she welcomed because it "kind of spreads it out so it's nice."

"I think people just expect it to be earlier now and for deals to start on Wednesday," Jahrmarkt said. "I think it's late enough where it's not conflicting with Thanksgiving and people seem stoked to come.

"It's like tradition now."

While many deals ended Thursday night, many Friday shoppers had no problem finding others.

Lola Lara of Wailuku rummaged through shirts on sale at One Eighty Maui before heading to her car with several shopping bags.

"This is only half of the stuff," Lara said. "My car is full already. I was on my way back to the car to dump this off, but I stopped here."

Lara said she bought luggage and pillows on sale at Sears along with a Black & Decker coffee machine from Macy's. She also scored on track suits, bras and a jacket from Victoria's Secret, which gave shoppers a free bag and blanket.

"I don't go shopping on Black Friday," she said. "I have what I need, you know? This is the first time I've come in a long, long time. I came with my mom, and this is what happened."

Visitors also made their way to the center, including Joanne Rathgaber of Victoria, British Columbia. She has flown to Maui around the same time every year since 1978 and has owned a condominium in Kihei for the past two decades.

Rathgaber said items appeared to be a little more expensive this year, but "there's still some deals." She said she always makes sure to hit Macy's because there isn't one in Canada.

"I always do some Christmas shopping here, but sometimes during the couple weeks before Black Friday you can do just as well," she said. "Black Friday has its benefits, but I have to decide if I want to stay in line or not."

While Black Friday doorbusters attracted droves of customers, not every Maui store needed them.

Elsa Ecsedy, assistant store manager of T.J.Maxx at the Maui Mall, said her store is "beating last year's sales" without any doorbusters and plans to have trucks filled with inventory arriving every day until Christmas. She said the "off-price" retail chain does not offer doorbusters.

"We're seeing traffic come in after they go to their doorbusters, and they come spend the rest of their money here," Ecsedy said. "We have better deals than the doorbusters."

Other malls such as The Shops at Wailea held events and promotions to increase traffic. The South Maui center welcomed Santa on Friday morning as he drove in on a 1963 Cadillac Eldorado.

The mall also gave the first 250 shoppers a free gift bag that included offers from stores and restaurants. Store owners said the events helped to increase sales and intrigue to stop by the mall in the heart of the Wailea resort.

"Events such as Black Friday and the Santa arrival help to bring more traffic to The Shops," said Karl D. Gottling, owner of Gottling Home Store, a luxury home furnishings and interior decor store, via email. "Black Friday kicks off the holiday season, and I definitely see an increase in foot traffic to our store. Plus, we see an increase of about 300 percent in sales during the holidays."

At 10 p.m. Thanksgiving, there were people coming out of Target in the Pu'unene Shopping Center with carts overflowing with items, including big TVs. The aisles were filled with people and products. All the checkout lines were open, and there was little wait time.

Nationwide, in-store and online sales are poised to hit $23 billion on Black Friday alone, which is up about 9 percent from last year, according to Mastercard. The credit card company projects that overall holiday sales from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve should grow by 5 percent this year.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is considered by many as the official first Christmas shopping day. It began as a single day when people got up early to score doorbusters, but stores began opening earlier and earlier until it reached into Thanksgiving.

* Staff Writer Terrie Eliker contributed to this report. Chris Sugidono can be reached at csugidono@mauinews.com.

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