Black Friday Christmas Sales in Miami Area-Let the Fun and Games Begin

Being in the retail business for quite a few years, I understand this phenomenon known as Black Friday is something all retailers look forward to and dread at the same time...if they can lure that all mighty customer and that most sought after dollar into their stores they can pretty much breathe a sigh of relief, that this Christmas shopping season is off to a good start...on the other hand, if business isn't quite up to expectations, well, that's an economy of a different color...

Traditionally the day after Thanksgiving became known as "Black Friday" just for that reason, for the potential retailers to start holiday season with good revenue, therefore crossing over from operating "in the red" to "in the black"...

In my neck of the woods, South Florida, the malls are getting ready for that big day by offering opening hours starting, in some cases, at 5 A.M. They are decked out and ready to go, just grab your morning cup of coffee and be ready to rock and roll with the crowds, all hoping to snare that big item at small prices, they are also hoping to grab those sale conscious customer before they settle down at their computers for at home savings...these on line sales have definitely hurt sales in the brick and mortar stores especially when they advertise pre-black Friday sales which occurred this weekend...anything for that almighty dollar and you can be sure there will be stiff competition with free shipping offered by many of the sites....

Wal-Mart's has started already... Black Friday may be a few weeks away but some retailers are jumping the gun in hopes of drumming up their holiday profits so this past Friday they opened their doors with specials consisting of laptops, HD-DVD players, and big screen TVs at extra low prices. The rumors abound that these will be repeated this coming Friday and big crowds are expected to be at all the Wal-Mart's in every location

Circuit City did the same thing this weekend, selling laptops at $250.00 which sold out immediately...the same is expected on Black Friday along with all other high and low end electronics and DVD's

But back to the business at hand...where to go this Black Friday in So Florida?

To name just a few of the decked out malls around the town, and their hours:

Coral Square Mall:
9469 W Atlantic Blvd, Coral Springs
Black Friday Special: Open from 5am to 10pm.

Dadeland Mall:
7535 SW 88TH St, Miami
Black Friday Special: Open from 6am to 10pm

Cocowalk
3015 Grand Avenue, Coconut Grove
Black Friday Special: Open from 10am to midnight.

Aventura Mall
19501 Biscayne Blvd, Miami
Black Friday Special: Open from 7am to 10pm.

And, last but not least, the biggest mall of all,

Sawgrass Mills Mall
12801 W. Sunrise Blvd, Sunrise.
Black Friday Special: Open from 7am to 10pm

These five malls are located strategically around the Miami/Broward area so that any one of them could be near the locale of most people living or visiting down here.

For a few extra special servings of Black Friday specials, I was able to dig up the following.... (many retailers don't want to leak their deals before the big day)

Bloomingdales Department stores is running a special called
"The more you spend the more you save": For every $100 you spend, you will receive a $15 gift card so you are inspired to continue shopping.

Carroll's Jewelers, 365 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables
Avoid the crowds of stressful shoppers while you save 20-50 percent on select glittering baubles for all those lucky ones on your list

Betsy Johnson, 19575 Biscayne Blvd, Ste 523, Miami
They state you will need a full week to recover from the shopping madness, but 60% percent off their Betsey Johnson merchandise will cushion the blow.

Hugo Boss Fashions, 342 San Lorenzo, Coral Gables
Leave the crowds and find savings of 20% off new fall merchandise for the discriminating folks on your Christmas list, with further discounts announced just before the big day

Of course the sales will be endless and those mentioned are just the frosting on the cake to celebrate the incredible merchandising strategy of all retailers on Black Friday....Just bring a lot of cash, debit and credit cards and don't worry about it until the bills come in.....

Happy Shopping!