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Sports blog: Stamford Sports Scene

By LAUREN MYLO

lmylo@thestamfordtimes.com


STAMFORD --Many people avoid the crowds, the noise, the craziness.

But those who venture out into the early morning cold Friday may be rewarded by catching the "doorbuster" sales as retailers try to make up for the falling market.

The Stamford Town Center will open at 7 a.m. Friday --Macy's will open at 5 a.m. -- and Jim Zielinski, the mall's director of marketing, said the mall has seen substantial increases in sales despite the bad economy since it's expansion, and he expects that to continue on Friday.

"We anticipate this to be a very, very strong Christmas for the mall because we're drawing people from a wider geographic base than ever before, and that's really helped our sales immensely," said Zielinski. "We have huge sales throughout the mall, including many early bird sales."

Zielinski said the mall is giving away 200 $100 gift cards to anyone who spends more than $500 between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. combining receipts from all stores.

There will be free valet parking for anyone driving a BMW, courtesy of BMW Darien.

Wal-Mart stores have traditionally ranked in among the top sellers on Black Friday, and the Danbury branch is opening at 5 a.m. this year.

Best Buy on Connecticut Avenue in Norwalk will also open at 5 a.m., five hours earlier than usual, and Target on Broad Street opens at 6 a.m. Friday.

There are differing opinions as to where the term "Black Friday" originated. One story claims the term was first used by Philadelphia police in the 1960s, playing on a term given to the 1929 stock market crash's Black Tuesday, to describe traffic in the inner city on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Another idea is high sales that day place retailers back "in the black," in terms of profits.

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