Jet's Pizza to expand in Charlotte

Charlotte is getting two new pizza stores, as Michigan-based Jet's Pizza plans to increase its presence in the region.

Jet's has two locations in the area now, one on Montford Drive and one in Huntersville. Both of them opened in 2010.

The chain's new locations are at 2712 West Mallard Creek Church Road in Charlotte and 920 Park Center Drive, in Matthews. Both new stores will open in December.

“North Carolina has been an excellent market for us,” said John Jetts, the chain's vice president of marketing, in a statement. “We’ve had an incredible response and we’re looking forward to further expansion in the state.”

Jet's signature dish is a deep-dish, square pizza. There are some 200 Jet's locations nationally, with sales of $163 million last year. The chain is also expanding in Raleigh and Cary.

Retailers hoping you log on for Cyber Monday

Had enough of named shopping days? Too bad. Following on the heels of Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, today is Cyber Monday, when stores are trying to lure shoppers online with perks such as web discounts and free shipping.

And like Black Friday, some retailers are turning what used to be a one-day event into a multi-day extravaganza. Wal-Mart, for example, is offering an entire "Cyber Week" of deals, with online-only deals such as a Fuji FinePix 14 megapixel camera with a 4 GB memory card for $59, and free home shipping on all orders over $45.

With record sales the day after Thanksgiving ($11.4 billion, up 6.6 percent), retailers are hoping to keep the positive momentum rolling. Last year's online sales rose about 16 percent the Monday after Thanksgiving, compared with 2009.

"I think you're going to see an even stronger number this year," said Beth Robertson, director of payments research at Javelin Strategy and Research. In a sign that consumers might be feeling more optimistic about the economic future, Robertson also said a greater share of online payments are expected to be made with credit rather than debit cards.

Online retail currently makes up about 7.2 percent of total retail sales, with $309 billion in sales expected for 2011. That share of sales is forecast to grow to 10.1 percent by 2016, according to Javelin Research, or $444 billion.

Originally a marketing strategy by the National Retail Federation-affiliated Shop.org, Cyber Monday was started in 2005 (read a New York Times story here for more details). Now, Shop.org is predicting 122 million Americans will shop on Monday (more than 1 in 3 people in this country), and 78 percent of retailers are offering special promotions for the day.

Local retailers are getting in on the action. Belk.com lists special deals such as 50 percent off men's topcoats and 50 percent off Rampage brand women's boots. Lowes.com is offering 42 percent off a Skil miter saw and 47 percent off a DeWalt cordless drill kit, for example.

And if you were really hoping we were done with named shopping days for the season, no such luck. Tomorrow is supposed to be "Green Tuesday," a day to promote eco-friendly purchases.

Black Friday sales jump 6.6 percent, set new record

Retailers' strategy of opening earlier than ever paid off big, with a record $11.4 billion in sales on the year's biggest shopping day, according to the firm ShopperTrak.

The firm, which tracks both sales and foot traffic, said the number of shoppers on Friday also increased 5.1 percent. Sales were up 6.6 percent from last year's $10.7 billion.

"Despite our sluggish economy, shoppers proved they are looking for value and ready to buy," said ShopperTrak's founder Bill Martin, in a statement. "Still, it's just one day. It remains to be seen whether consumers will sustain this behavior through the holiday season."

This year's increase in Black Friday sales was the largest since that between 2006 and 2007, before the recession began. Sales jumped more than 8 percent that year.

This year, with retailers offering more and more pre-Black Friday promotions, sales were also up 3.8 percent the week before Thanksgiving.

Customers turned out in droves this year, as Target, Macy's, Kohl's, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Toys 'R' Us all announced their earliest openings ever, hoping to gain an edge on each other.

Black Friday: What's open when?

Black Friday is almost upon us, which means it's time for a big roundup of which stores are trying to part you with your money, and when they're opening.

Below is a list of when local chain stores and malls are opening their doors to shoppers, as well as some shopping tips. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it does cover pretty much everything I've accumulated from malls and stores over the past couple weeks.


Thursday and Friday, email any questions/observations/anecdotes/near-trampling incidents you feel like sharing with me at elyportillo@charlotteobserver.com, or call me at 704-358-5041. I get your emails on my cell phone, and I'd appreciate any feedback.

Local malls:

• SouthPark will open at 7 a.m. Friday. The following individual stores at the mall will open at midnight: Macy's, Aeropostale, American Eagle, Teavana, Lids, Express, Guess, Urban Outfitters, Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie and Hollister. Victoria's Secret and Belk will open at 3 a.m.
• Northlake will open at 6 a.m. Abercrombie, Abercrombie & Fitch, Aerie, Aeropostale, American Eagle, Express, Finish Line, Footlocker, Forever 21, Guess, Hollister, Lids and Perfumania will open at midnight. Bakers Shoes and Starbucks will open at 4 a.m.
• Carolina Place will open at 6 a.m. Abercrombie & Fitch, Aerie, Aéropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Bath & Body Works, Bella Scarpa, Body Central, Bourbon Street Grill, Carolina Jewelry, Cellairis, Chick-fil-A, Children's Place, Claire's, Express, Hat Shack, Hershey's Ice Cream, Hickory Farms, Hollister Co., Hot Topic, Icing by Claire's, Express Men, Finish Line, Gamestop, Gap, The Limited, Macy's, McDonald's, Lane Bryant, New York & Company, P.S. from Aéropostale, PacSun, Perfumania, Pro Image, Sbarro, Spencer's, Sports Fan Attic, Victoria's Secret, Wet Seal and XXI Forever will open at midnight. Authentik's and Belk will open at 3 a.m., Crazy 8, Gymboree, JCPenney, Rack Room Shoes and Sears will open at 4 a.m. and Dillard's will open at 8 a.m.
• Concord Mills will open at midnight.

Other malls:
Monroe Mall will open at 3 a.m. Friday
Gaffney Outlets will open at midnight, with select stores open at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving

Individual stores:
Open on Thanksgiving: Old Navy, select Banana Republic and Gap stores, K-Mart, Wal-Mart supercenters
Open at 9 p.m. Thanksgiving: Toys 'R' Us
Black Friday sales starting at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving: Wal-Mart
Opening at midnight: Target, Macy's, Kohl's and Best Buy

Useful sites to look up Black Friday ads in one place:
http://www.2011blackfridayads.com and http://bfads.net/ 


Random tips and such:

• Black Friday deals aren't always the best (Consumer Reports)
• Black Friday freebies at national chain stores (Consumerist)
• Six Black Friday secrets retailers won't tell you (Time)

So, have fun  whether you decide to shop till you drop or spend Friday morning sleeping off your turkey hangover. Follow us on Twitter @theobserver for shopping-related updates Thursday and Friday, and check out the main Charlotte Observer website too.

Group promoting 'Buy American Month' this holiday season

The next six weeks will see consumers pouring into malls, outlet stores and big-box retailers in search of bargains and gifts, and much of what they buy will be imported.

But a Seattle-based non-profit is hoping to bring more attention to American products and businesses this holiday season. TAP America is promoting "Buy American Month," a campaign to boycott products made overseas (and specifically those made in China), which the group says is the only way to revive our sickly economy.

Though it may be a worthy goal, buying American can be more expensive - and, as this LA Times story points out, practically impossible for some items. Some of the hottest gift items this holiday season, like Apple's products, are designed in America but assembled by workers in low-cost Asian countries.

TAP America acknowledges the difficulty of buying American-made products.

"Asking Americans to buy American is not an easy task,” said Richard Tso, the group's executive director, in a statement. “Today most all electronic, clothing and textile goods are manufactured in China and popular American companies like Apple, REI, Walmart, and GAP are sending manufacturing jobs overseas."

To get around that, the group suggests people buy experience-oriented gifts, such as massages and restaurant gift cards. Such services are impossible to offshore, and more likely to pump money into the local economy, TAP America says.

What do you think? Are you willing to spend more money on American-made goods, and is that something you're considering during your holiday gift shopping?

Also noted: A new Dell retail store is now open in Northlake Mall. Dell@Northlake is on the mall's first floor, near the children's play area. The store beefs up Northlake's options for computers and electronics, adding to the recently opened Apple store.

OSHA warns retailers to get ready for Black Friday

With retailers days away from the biggest shopping day of the year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is reminding stores to take steps to ensure no one gets hurt in the rush for bargains.

The stakes for retail workers are high. In 2008, a Wal-Mart employee was killed after being trampled, when a surging crowd broke through the door and stormed the store in search of bargains.

The latest OSHA guidelines, released late last week, include a lot of common-sense steps, such as "Set up barricades or rope lines for crowd management well in advance of customers arriving at the store" and "Make sure that all employees and crowd control personnel are aware that the doors are about to open."

But other bullet points make the danger clear. Stores are advised to "Position security or crowd managers to the sides of entering (or exiting) public, not in the center of their path" - a way to avoid potential trampling incidents. Retailers should also "Keep first-aid kits and Automated External Defibrillators" on-hand, to treat any injuries or cardiac incidents that occur. 

"Locate shopping carts and other potential obstacles or projectiles inside the store and away from the entrance, not in the parking lot," OSHA advises. And "Ensure that barricade lines have an adequate number of breaks and turns at regular intervals to reduce the risk of customers pushing from the rear and possibly crushing others, including workers."

Blakeney, Sharon Corners shopping centers add stores

Blakeney shopping center in south Charlotte has two new tenants, broker CNL Crosland Commercial Real Estate said.

Indoor cycling studio Flywheel Sports is headed to the center's second level, near the Banana Republic store. The 4,600-square-foot studio will open in January, CNL Crosland said.

Accessory store Bijuju opened in early November, Crosland said, next to the Talbots store. The store is about 1,400 square feet, and carries items such as handbags, cocktail rings, sunglasses, hats and scarves.

Bijuju moves into what was formerly the Creative by Nature HOME store. Creative by Nature relocated to a larger, nearly 2,700-square-foot space near Coldwater Creek. The home accessory and furniture retailer now has a larger showroom, CNL Crosland said.

The 270-acre Blakeney development is south of I-485, at Rea and Ardrey Kell Roads.

Over at Sharon Corners, near SouthPark at Fairview and Sharon Roads, Gigi's Cupcakes has signed for 1,200 square feet formerly occupied by shoe store Mephisto.

Mephisto is expanding and moving to the 2,500-square-foot store next to the Original Pancake House. The retailer is adding 10 new brands to its lineup with the added space, the store's owner said.

And Fibre Studio, a yarn store, is relocating to Sharon Corners from the Cotswold area. CNL Crosland said Fibre Studio's new location is about 1,800 square feet.