Black Friday in Back Bay

By Sandra MIller

While many watched anxiously as to whether shoppers would complete their shopping the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday in Boston is a more genteel affair. While our suburban friends dealt with snarled traffic, Bostonians simply walked to their stores.

Yes, there were crowds at the likes of Filene’s Basement and shoppers wielding bargains from the major chains, while others simply walked the malls, Newbury Street, and other shopping districts in the city to get some ideas.

It’s not about how much Back Bay businesses made on Friday, though.

“We’re predicting local retail will be stronger than expected,” said Alexander Cooper, the Back Bay Association’s (BBA) director of membership and marketing. “Back Bay has always been a destination for those looking for world-class luxury brands and independent boutiques.”

The BBA is working on a “shop locally” marketing campaign to remind the neighborhood to support their local merchants.

According to the National Retail Federation's (NRF) 2008 Black Friday Weekend survey, more than 172 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 147 million shoppers last year. Shoppers spent an average of $372.57 this weekend, up 7.2 percent over last year's $347.55. The NRF credited pent-up demand on electronics and clothing, plus bargains on the season's hottest items, and predicted that holiday sales aren’t expected to continue at this pace.

For savvy shoppers, retail insiders say the real bargains on Black Friday are at publicly traded companies who are under pressure to improve upon last year's sales. Smaller boutiques, along with large, privately owned companies such as Crate and Barrel, don't offer Black Friday discounts because they can look at profits for the quarter, not a day.

The Boylston Street Crate and Barrel, closed from a recent fire, opened Friday for business, with only its furniture line unavailable for anything other than online orders. The cause of the fire is still being investigated, said Crate and Barrel spokespersonVicki Lang, who confirmed \there were no special “doorbuster” sales. “We’re just happy to have the doors open,” said Lang.

Lux Bond and Green on Boylston Street didn’t have discounts, but hosted celebrity stylist Steve London, national jewelry stylist for the John Hardy brand, who offered fashion tips and introduced new pieces. Customers were also treated to a free light lunch and refreshments.

Macy’s, among other stores, reported light lines in the morning, while Filene’s Basement on Newbury Street was crowded. Some may have been scared off by threats of rain, but shoppers going to the boutiques on Friday appeared a little more leisurely, assembling their ideas and just enjoying the day.

While during the day sales seemed light, one resident said most of his friends were spending that day driving out to the malls to grab big ticket items such as TVs at the Big Boxes, and would be shopping at the smaller stores throughout December.

“I’m kind of a procrastinator,” said Bruce Edgehill of Commonwealth Avenue, who was wandering Newbury Street, bagless, poking around the stores and burning off some Thanksgiving turkey. “I’ll buy some things online, but I like to pick up cute things that I can see and touch, things that are unique.” He said he’d do a lot of his shopping locally.

While a few boutiques around town have shut their doors, others continue to open. Gucci opened its new store at the Mandarin Oriental, in a spacious 6750 square-foot spot.

Nationwide,, many celebrated “Buy Nothing Day,” sponsored by AdBusters, meant to identify ways to reduce overall consumption habits. StoryCorps, an independent nonprofit organization supported by National Public Radio and others, suggested using November 28 as the day to record someone you know to talk about their lives. "This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives -- it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood," reads its web site. "By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year.”

Others were saving themselves for yesterday’s “Cyber Monday,” surfing at home or at work for virtual coupons, special offer codes and e-mail alerts. The term was coined in 2005 for the Monday following Thanksgiving, which the National Retail Federation said is when "consumers have flooded Web sites on Cyber Monday and come to expect robust promotions and specials that day."