Tagged: Black Friday

Governor Snyder has signed into law a new tool to crackdown on organized shoplifting.

Michigan retailers are near the end of a mediocre holiday shopping season.   But the governor’s signature making the Organized Retail Crime Act law should bring smiles to many store owners faces.

The act will make organized shoplifting a felony with a five year prison sentence. 

The Michigan Retailers Association supports the legislation.   An association spokesman says shoplifting rings run by organized crime have become a “huge problem”. 

Philanthropic organizations want to capitalize on the spending campaigns of "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday"  - and also flip the idea of consumerism on its head.

The idea behind "Giving Tuesday" is to take time to donate to charity, after two of the biggest shopping days of the year.

Eileen Heisman is the CEO of National Philanthropic Trust - one of the groups promoting the campaign.

"This is the first year, but I think it's going to continue," said Heisman. "I'm almost positive it is, and so I think in the following years we'll see a much bigger push and more visibility for people taking this time of year to give back in a more formal way on this day."

Charities report nearly a quarter of their annual donations come between Thanksgiving and New Years.

Not everyone shopping in Michigan stores this weekend plans to buy.

Some plan to steal.

The hectic nature of the holiday shopping season makes it easier for shoplifters.

Individual shoplifters have always been a headache for Michigan store owners.   But Tom Scott with the Michigan Retailers Association says now store owners are having to deal with organized gangs of shoplifters…

Most of the attention this weekend is on long lines at big box retailers.  But Michigan’s smaller retailers are counting on some shoppers to look to them to kick off their holiday shopping season.

Wedged between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is Small Business Saturday.

Louise Gradwohl is with Lansing’s Old Town Commercial Association.  She says the national campaign should mean an uptick in shoppers checking out Old Town's mix of art galleries and other eclectic stores.

While there must be some Black Friday shoppers waking up before dawn just for the thrill of throwing elbows on their way to the last Tickle Me Elmo, most shoppers rationalize this seemingly irrational behavior by pointing to cheaper prices.

And of course the prices are lower. Right?

Not so, says the Wall Street Journal.

Michigan retailers are optimistic they will have a very good holiday shopping season this year.

Nationally, sales are expected to be up by four percent over last year.

Tom Scott with the Michigan Retailers Association says this is a critical five-week stretch for many store owners.

“It’s probably 20 to 25% of a retailers’ business of the year…depending on what kind of retailer they are,” says Scott,  “If they’re a toy store….it could be 50% or more.”