Whats Black Friday?

Ask shop owners in Vail Village what they have on tap for Black Friday sales and many respond the same way: Whats Black Friday?The biggest shopping day of the year barely registers on the retail radar, though it does coincide with a burst of commerce at the start of ski season.Sales are brisk on the day after Thanksgiving – retailers say 15 to 30 percent more customers flock to their stores compared with a typical Friday – but shoppers are unlikely to languish in lines or fall victim to trampling.We do tend to get a higher amount of shoppers, Jason Noakes, manager of American Ski Exchange in Vail, said. I wouldnt say theres a stampede or anything like that. I think there are a lot more moms shopping about.

Yes, Vail remains quarantined from the mayhem that erupts in urban malls, but die-hard shoppers can find sales at the few department stores.Wal-Mart in Avon will hold a sale from 5 to 11 a.m. Friday.Store manager Laddy Light said he expects two Polaroid digital TVs to fly off the shelves: a 42-inch model marked down $200 to $798 and a 32-inch unit reduced $250 to $448.Light said customers are scrambling to replace their analog TVs with digital models before an industry shakeup strikes. Federal law dictates national TV stations stop broadcasting in analog format and broadcast exclusively in digital format by February 2009.Along with the TVs, Light expects customers to snap up a Dell laptop marked down $200 to $598 and a Kodak camera reduced $40 to about $89.In general, Light expects sales at Wal-Mart to jump by 35 percent on Black Friday compared with a typical Friday. He also anticipates nearly twice as many customers -10,000 shoppers compared with the usual 5,700.However, unlike in urban locations, where Wal-mart shoppers line up at dawn, business at the Avon branch picks up mid-morning, Light said.People just dont get up early here to do anything, he said.At Costco Wholesale in Gypsum, the doors will open an hour early at 9 a.m. Store manager Ken Wadsworth declined to disclose sales projections, but said he expects more customers than usual to flood the store.People dont really stampede here, he said.Theyre more laid back, I guess. Well be busy but there wont be lines out the door or craziness.Shoppers armed with coupon books will find a variety of discounts throughout the store, including a 47-inch Phillips TV marked down $100 to $1,499.99.A lot of people like the flat screen TVs now, Wadsworth said. They hang them above their fireplaces. They dont take up all the space on the floor so theyre pretty versatile.Other discounts include a Kitchenaid mixer slashed $40 to $239.99 and a digital picture frame reduced $20 to $99.99.Similar bargains will go down at Sports Authority in Avon. The first 100 shoppers who enter the store will receive discount cards worth $10 to $100, according to a corporate press release. The cards apply to any puchase and are good from the stores opening at 5:30 a.m. through noon Friday, the release states.Price tags on goods throughout Sports Authority will dip by up to 60 percent, according to the release. Other bargains include a Weslo treadmill marked down 50 percent to $199.99 and a ProForm elliptical machine reduced $350 to $349.99.Just down the street, Wishes Toy Store will offer 20 percent discounts on childrens clothing.

In Vail Village, a variety of sales that coincide with the slopes opening happen to fall on Black Friday. American Ski Exchange will slash prices on skiwear by 20 percent while Billabong offers 50 percent off sandals, sale items and the spring 2007 line, along with 20 percent off snow and denim pants.At Designer Furs, where mink, sable and fox fur coats go for $2,000 to $80,000, business will continue as usual on Friday.Black Friday, oh is that what they call it? owner Kathleen Denson said. We treat it like a regular day. We already have great prices.Arts and Entertainment Writer Sarah Mausolf can be reached at 748-2938 or smausolf@vaildaily.com.