Another plan for pulling in customers on Black Friday

Saratoga, N.Y.--At Lily & David Fine Jewelers in Saratoga, past Black Friday offerings have included deals similar to what big-box retailers offer holiday shoppers, electronics and other similar gifts.

But this year, the store has decided to take it one step further to make the deals more appealing for its “Northeastern-driven” customers, says Director of Marketing Nicholas Stone.

For purchases over $999, the store will award one $300 gift certificate to High Peaks Resort, a ski resort in Lake Placid, N.Y., with no restrictions or blackout dates. For customers that spend more than $1,499, the retailer will give them one Troy-Bilt snow blower valued at $600, while supplies last.

“We knew that there were people out there who would never buy themselves a snow blower,” Stone says. “But we definitely need it around here, especially after last winter. The mall shut down early four times because of the snow.”

Lily & David will run ads to promote the deal to the public in print and on the radio and local television, as well as using in-store signage, beginning Nov. 21. Until then, it will just run teasers, only informing select clients who may want to put pieces on hold until the offers begin.

“We’ve had a great response to it so far. We were at a family event on Friday and told two gentlemen about it and they thought it was the greatest idea ever. The snow blower is such a practical, great thing,” Stone said, adding that the local NBC affiliate told him that a giveaway the station previously had of just one snow blower was their largest ever.

Lily & David’s deals will run for four days, offered for purchases made from Thanksgiving Day through Sunday, Nov. 30.

Stone says that the decision to open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day--a day that is the subject of much to-open-or-not-to-open debate among retailers and their employees--stems from the retailer’s desire to remain competitive with nearby jewelry stores, especially Kay Jewelers in the nearby Wilton Mall. 

The retailer’s snow-related Black Friday offerings also are a way to ensure it remains competitive with other local independents. As profiled by National Jeweler Monday, Northeastern Fine Jewelry is offering customers who hit certain spending thresholds over Black Friday weekend a camera or ultra-high definition television.

“We want to be open for the traffic that a national chain might bring