Ready for Black Friday?

Photo By Arthur Mondale | From left, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Samuel Macharia is snooping for deals on “wearable technology” with U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jose Pinzon in the electronics department of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service Post Exchange Nov. 16 on the Fort Myer portion of Joint Base Myer Henderson-Hall. “You have to make sure you’re comparing apples to apples,” said JBM-HH AAFES General Manager William Shoffner, who advises customers to particularly compare features on electronic items when comparing prices at competing stores. “A lot of the time [off-base retailers] offer a stripped down model—it looks like a great deal—but there are no features to that item.” (Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall PAO photo by Arthur Mondale)  

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VA, UNITED STATES

11.25.2015

Story by Arthur Mondale 

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - Shoppers looking to ride the wave of consumerism Black Friday weekend, Nov. 27–29, won’t surprise Marine Corps Exchange and Army and Air Force Exchange Service employees at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. Management and staff are more than prepared for the retail flood.

JBM-HH AAFES General Manager William Shoffner and Marine Corps Exchange Retail Director Mary Walls said both stores began planning for Black Friday weekend and the official start of the 2015 holiday shopping season back in December 2014.

Staffing, signage, distribution and current market values are all essential considerations to planning and execution for the big weekend, according to both Shoffner and Walls.

“We [Marine Corps Exchange headquarters buying team in Quantico and individual store locations] had out briefs and conference calls to review what worked well—what’s an opportunity and lessons learned—anything to put out on the table for discussion and review for the following year,” Walls said.

Strategies and savings

In an effort to continue to lure customers, both the MCX and AAFES introduced new strategies for 2015: MCX introduced an Early Cyber Monday, Nov. 23 and “will match any competitors’ Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday prices” through Nov. 27, said Walls.

Door busters and limited quantity items at AAFES are excluded from the price match policy; if a customer finds an identical item elsewhere for less, customers will receive a gift card for the difference through Dec. 24. Additionally, AAFES introduces Cyber Week, which begins Nov. 30. AAFES will offer promotional discounts and sales on online items through Dec. 3.

“The market is very competitive,” Shoffner said. “On electronics particularly it is very competitive on the margins. Our buyers work aggressively with the distributors and with the vendors to make sure that they’re getting the best price possible for us.”

Those best prices are then passed down to the individual customer. This is good news for service members who strategically plan to shop at the MCX or AAFES, some of whom have been known to line up outside of AAFES and MCX locations throughout the National Capital Region as early as 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, according to Shoffner, even though store locations don’t open until 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. the next day.

Plan ahead
Soldiers and Marines interviewed seem to understand the power of store marketing, as well as the importance of beating the competition for both stores and patrons.

“You’re talking about numbers,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Samuel Macharia. “And if you can save me 40 percent off of my retail purchases for the whole year on Black Friday, why wouldn’t the stores put a certain percentage of marketing on that day because that will bring a large percent of customers?”

Macharia is joined by other shoppers in uniform who agree on the perpetual strategy to beat off-base competition in pricing and in-store/online traffic. He is joined by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jose Pinzon who place emphasis on scoping for the best ads offered by area competitors early.

“Basically we’re trying to get quality products and name brands at the best price, and that’s what a lot of people go for,” said Pinzon.

Door busters

Electronics are traditionally a “huge” limited-quantity purchase Black Friday weekend, to include, televisions, cameras, computers, sound systems and headphones. And with Black Friday already expected to be the busiest day for both AAFES and the MCX, shoppers are competitive and should plan accordingly.

“I want to buy a TV,” said Lance Cpl. Matthew Long. “I need a new one, and I want to get it cheap.”

Meanwhile, his holiday savings co-conspirator Lance Cpl. Jonathan Barks would like to see other savings. “It would be nice if they had Black Friday deals for military uniforms,” he said.

According to Shoffner and Walls, there will be good offerings all weekend on door busters, including electronics, but customers should expect competitive prices on name brand apparel and clothing, small home appliances, watches and jewelry. Door busters are generally limited quantity, and customers will be given one ticket per authorized item on Black Friday. That’s on top of the tax-free savings advantage.

“You’re going to save on the sales tax,” Shoffner said. “And that’s a considerable savings when you’re looking at $500, $600, $700, $800 purchases.”

“We’re very competitive with the prices outside the gate,” Walls adds.

AAFES opens on Black Friday at 4 a.m., Nov. 27. Customers will be allowed to enter the building early at 2:30 a.m. to stay warm.

Hours are 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 27, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 28, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 29.

The MCX opens on Black Friday at 5 a.m., Nov. 27. Early customers will receive free coffee, and have a chance to be one of 100 people to receive an eGift Card.

Hours are 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 27, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 28, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 29.

• Date Taken: 11.25.2015
• Date Posted: 11.25.2015 13:21
• Story ID: 182891
• Location: JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VA, US