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Thursday, November 22, 2018
@AhwatukeeFN |
@AhwatukeeFN
Black Friday still big deal for brick-and-mortar stores BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY AFN Staff Writer
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lack Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year and from Scottsdale to Ahwatukee, Phoenix to east Mesa and Gilbert, malls and retail centers are putting their best foot forward to get shoppers in the door. That also puts extra pressure on local police, who are planning to deploy extra resources to retail destinations during the post-Thanksgiving buying rush. Analysts have predicted a rosy sales season for retailers, with the National Retail Federation predicting up to a 4.8 percent bump in sales during the holiday season.
One driver of that bump could be toy sales as retailers jump to fill the vacancy left by the Toys R’ Us bankruptcy, according to CBRE’s 2018 U.S. Retail Holiday Trends Guide. The guide shows that retailers like Target and Walmart are expanding their toy selection to fill the void, so shoppers should watch out for Black Friday deals from those two mega stores as they compete for the $1.3 billion in annual toy sales Toys R’ Us left behind. That accounted for about five percent of the total toy market. The big brands aren’t the only stores that will benefit from Black Friday, though. See
SHOPPING on page 14
(Special to AFN)
Santa, Kick-Off Party ready to open the holiday season AFN News Staff
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ith one million lights already adorning the saguaros and trees along Chandler Boulevard in Ahwatukee Foothills, the time has come to have some family-friendly fun at an event that helps support this 28-year tradition. And you can do it at the 23rd annual Holiday Kick-off Party noon-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24, at Desert Foothills Park at the corner of Chandler Boulevard and Desert Foothills Parkway. But even before you head down
to the park, another Ahwatukee Thanksgiving awaits your attention tomorrow morning, Friday, Nov. 23, at Ahwatukee Plaza on Elliot Road just west of I-10. Santa will be arriving at 11 a.m. by helicopter – another decades-old tradition started by Millie’s Hallmark – with other activities built around his visit from See
SANTA on page 8
(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Staff Photographer)
Gracelyn Deveraux got a chance to talk to Santa at last year’s Kick-Off Party.