LI's Black Friday revs up after sluggish start

Black Friday shoppers, attracted by steep discounts, streamed to Long Island's malls and shopping centers Friday.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, historically is the biggest shopping day of the year and the symbolic start of the holiday shopping season. But it has lost some of its buzz as more shoppers go online and some retailers seek a competitive advantage by offering discounts in early November and opening on Thanksgiving. Friday morning, the malls were less busy than last year.

Still, for many customers, Black Friday shopping has become a ritual. As the day went on, traffic grew at many stores.

Drivers were circling the parking lots at The Tanger Outlets in Riverhead to find a spot, and a line of a couple dozen people snaked outside a Coach Factory store.

Michelle White, a pharmaceutical sales specialist from Miramar, Florida, combined shopping for electronics and clothing at Tanger with a visit to relatives in Baldwin. "I'm a Black Friday aficionado," White said. "I love it. It's the rush of getting that sale . . . I'm a shopaholic . . . I admit it."

Yao Ji, 29, came from half a world away to find deals at the outlet shops. The Shanghai, China, resident was outside Nine West carrying bags of shoes and clothes by late morning after an overnight flight from Seattle to New York. American brand names, she said, are sold in China, but at a premium.

"It's very famous that Black Friday is a big promotion day here," Ji said. "Lots of [the shoes] are made in China, but they're cheaper here."

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Retail sales numbers for Black Friday were not yet available, but Chris Christopher, director of consumer economics for economic forecasting firm IHS Global Insight, predicted holiday sales from November through December would increase 3.5 percent, year over year. That is down from 2014's 4.1 percent. "This year's holiday retail sales are expected to be a tad shy of $630 billion," he said.

At the Walmart in Farmingdale, Sherman James, 45, a nurse's aide from Wyandanch, said he zeroed in on a 20-inch child's bicycle and other items by comparing circulars.

After spending about $200 of his $1,000 budget for Christmas gifts, James said: "It's just the beginning."

Saks Fifth Avenue and other retailers at Walt Whitman Shops were closed on Thanksgiving, and open Black Friday morning.

At Saks, shoppers were looking for deals on luxury handbags, shoes and women's clothing. The retailer started offering discounts on merchandise on Wednesday. "Everyone expects savings this time of the year," said Dianna Corpus, general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue.

At the Westfield South Shore mall in Bay Shore, which opened at 6 a.m., business was relatively slow in the morning.

"I didn't want to go yesterday because it was a family day," said Estefany Reyes, 25, a Brentwood resident shopping at F&F inside the mall.

Reyes, who arrived at the mall at 7 a.m., said she was surprised by the initially light foot traffic. "I think it's better like that," she laughed.

The recent terrorist attacks in Paris introduced a note of caution for some shoppers.

Retired NYPD officer Steve Tutino, 54, of West Islip, who was shopping for a 50-inch TV at P.C. Richard & Son in Bay Shore, said he and his family discussed security over Thanksgiving dinner.

"You don't really have armed security guards in most malls," making them "soft targets," Tutino said. Still, he said those concerns are "not going to stop me from going out and doing my thing."

Black Friday continues to be a big draw, with 41 percent of shoppers planning to take advantage of sales, compared with 12 percent on Thanksgiving Day, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers consumer forecast.

Because of a quirk of the calendar, there were 21.7 million fewer paychecks hitting consumers' bank accounts on Black Friday compared with last year's Black Friday, according to IHS's Christopher.

Still, consumers planned to spend, on average, $584 on Black Friday compared with $501 in 2014, according to American Express' Spending & Saving Tracker.

With Victor Ocasio, Víctor Manuel Ramos and James T. Madore