Retailers prepare for Black Friday shoppers

With Thanksgiving coming less than a month before Christmas this year, store owners big and small said they will have to bear a heavy burden on Black Friday.

Doorbuster sales, Thanksgiving Day hours and promotions throughout the city may seem like overkill to some consumers, but they're critical tactics for business owners.

"For the day itself, it isn't a make or break, but it is a harbinger of things to come this season," said Marco Pasanella, who is the chair of the Old Seaport Alliance, which oversees shops at the seaport that were affected by Superstorm Sandy.

Tricia Lewis, director of digital media for the 34th Street Partnership, said many stores are already struggling from competition from online retailers as more and more shoppers wait for Cyber Monday. The Christmas sales are the biggest show of success for retailers and those fewer shopping days are critical, according to Lewis.

Lewis said stores in midtown have the advantage of being in proximity to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday.

"I think it's going to be interesting to see. People will still be on the street after the parade and they might be interested in shopping," Lewis said.

Several commentators and pundits have come out against national chains such as J.C. Penney and Best Buy for forcing their employees to work on Thanksgiving and encouraging customers to trade in their family time for a shopping bag.

Lewis acknowledged those concerns but added that Black Friday in New York City is different from the day elsewhere in the United States because shopping is an essential part of many visitors' agendas.

"There's that excitement of finding things at Macy's at a right price and having the holiday scene around you," she said. "As those people walk around the city, they see the different stores, and the shops are really tapping into that excitement."

For the mom-and-pops throughout the city, especially the ones that are hoping to have an extra Christmas boost, Black Friday is more personal

Pasanella, who runs the wine shop Pasanella & Son Vintners on South Street, recalled how his store was the only one that was open last year.

Many of his fellow South Street Seaport-area businesses want to make sure customers know they're back in action and still need that extra help.

"I'm not looking to make a killing. I'm just looking to come back," Pasanella said.