Leland, 15, and her mother Beth McCullagh are Black Friday shopping enthusiasts and are excited to get out to the stores Thursday evening into Friday morning. (November 26, 2013) (Herald-Tribune staff photo by Rachel S. O’Hara)
Editor’s Note: Herald-Tribune reporter Justine Griffin shopped with two Sarasota families this holiday season. She went shopping in Sarasota with Melissa Tomasso, who waited until after Thanksgiving and in Brandon with Beth McCullagh, who hunted for Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving night.
Below are stories I wrote during the holiday season:
Lists handy, shoppers gird for holiday hunt By Justine Griffin. Published: Nov. 26, 2013
Between Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and three weeks of shopping from now to Christmas, shoppers have more options than ever to get all the gifts on their holiday lists.
Southwest Florida moms Melissa Tomasso and Beth McCullagh are two of the 140 million people who are expected to shop during the Thanksgiving weekend — the biggest for shopping of the year. That turnout is down about 5 percent from last year, according to data collected by the National Retail Federation.
With doorbuster deals beginning earlier than ever — in some chain stores as early as 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day — consumers are poised to see some of the best Black Friday discounts in years, experts say.
The Herald-Tribune will follow Tomasso and McCullagh as they hunt down deals, navigate shopping crowds and stores, and ultimately check off items on their holiday gift lists this holiday season.
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Consumes have plans. Merchants have hopes. By Justine Griffin. Published: Nov, 30, 2013
Beth McCullagh and her daughter ran to the entrance of Macy’s — not to be the first in line for doorbuster deals, but to get out of the 50-degree weather.
McCullagh and her daughter are career Black Friday shoppers. Together, they’ve managed the lines, the crowds and the long early-morning hours spent in malls and other shopping plazas. But they have always come home victorious, bearing bags and boxes full of gifts acquired at prices that make friends and family envious.
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After Black Friday, shopping deals still abound By Justine Griffin. Published: Dec. 9, 2013
The tree’s up in the living room and the colorful lights dangle from the roof of the Tomasso family home.
It is early December and Melissa Tomasso, a wife, sister-in-law, daughter, mother of two and a substitute teacher in Sarasota, is eager to wrap up her holiday shopping for friends and family. She is one of the 46.2 percent of Americans who waited to shop until after Thanksgiving, according to data from the National Retail Federation.
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Retailer’s season hasn’t been merry By Justine Griffin. Published: Dec. 23, 2013
While retail stores were busy with the many bargain hunters looking for a last minute deal before the holiday this past weekend, Sarasota shoppers Beth McCullagh and Melissa Tomasso were relaxing at home, their shopping already done for the season.
McCullagh, a dedicated Black Friday shopper who lives with her family in Lakewood Ranch, spent a few days in stores after Black Friday, but wrapped up most of her shopping online. Tomasso, who waited until December to begin shopping for her family who live in Sarasota, shopped online and in stores, but grabbed everything on her list before jetting to New York for a short getaway before Wednesday.
As of Dec. 9, the average American holiday shopper had completed only half of their gift shopping for friends and family, which is slightly less than how much shoppers had completed by that time last year, according to the National Retail Federation. That fact boded well for store chains as they geared up for Super Saturday and the last weekend before Christmas, where retailers offer a final round of marked-down prices in a last-minute effort to purge inventories before the end of the holiday season.
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Shoppers spent less than expected in 2013 By Justine Griffin. Published: Jan. 14, 2014
Melissa Tomasso checked off every item on her children’s holiday wish lists this year, but kept well within her strict budget.
Her daughter Malia, 11, got a Kindle e-reader and MacBook Pro, expensive electronics but tools she uses for school, too. Her son, Jared, 14, also got a Kindle and some new fishing gear.
Every year when the holidays roll around, Melissa and her husband, Chris, who live in Sarasota, come up with a limited spending plan.
“My kids may have gotten all the gifts they wanted this year, but we always stick to our budget,” Tomasso said. “We splurged a little on the kids for electronics, but we were prepared for that.”
That seemed to match a broader sentiment among shoppers clearly evident in spending patterns during the recent holiday season. More consumers spent less than they expected, but only 14 percent said they spent more than expected, reported Bankrate.com, a Palm Beach-based consumer financial firm. Being on a budget was fairly universal: no age group spent more than expected, Bankrate.com data showed.
