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www.readingeagle.com l READING EAGLE l SUNDAY November 12, 2006

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LAST WEEK’SMARKETS

BUSINESS

© Copyright 2006 Reading Eagle Company Business Editor Karen L. Miller: 610-371-5049 business@readingeagle.com

Consumer Online services no match for TiVo’s basic appeal | C6Home computing Microsoft’s Zune not quite in tune as iPod alternative | C7

By Christopher HinzReading Eagle

OK, you’ve gobbled downmegacarbs at the Thanksgivingdinner table and feel like sleep-ing for a week. But Black Fridaystarts the next morning and vi-sions of Christmas shoppingdeals are dancing in your head.

Many retailers, as hungry foryour dollars as you were forthat turkey, are offering big dis-counts to early shoppers.

Can you awaken earlyenough to take advantage ofthem? Can you be in line by 7a.m. for the opening of your fa-vorite store?

If that’s your game plan, youmight want to stay in bed anddream on.

By 7 a.m., many serious bar-

gain hunters will have beatenyou by an hour or more, andthat specially priced TMX El-mo or DVD gift set could belong gone from shelves.

“We will opening at 5 o’clockin the morning on Black Fri-day,” said Brian Lucas,spokesman for consumer-elec-tronics giant Best Buy, one ofseveral retailers sampled forthis story.

Wal-Mart spokeswomanMarisa Bluestone said thechain’s stores that aren’t openaround-the-clock — in BerksCounty, the Wal-Mart inWyomissing and the Sam’s Clubin Muhlenberg Township — al-so would be ready for shoppersat 5 a.m.

Circuit City is on the samewavelength, trying to entice

shoppers with a 5 a.m. opening,according to StephanieNightlinger, spokeswoman forthe consumer-electronics chain.

Not all retailers are hoppingon the predawn bandwagon.Melissa C. Achenbach, Fair-grounds Square Mall market-ing director, said the mall willopen at 7 a.m.

However, Achenbach added,some stores may elect to openearlier, in which case selectmall entrances will be accessi-ble to accommodate shoppers.

Boscov’s, an anchor at Fair-grounds, is one such retailer.Spokeswoman Donna L. Pawl-ing said the chain’s stores willopen at 6 a.m.

Spokesman Joshua Thomasof discount chain Target said itsstores, including the one atBroadcasting Square ShoppingCenter in Spring Township, al-so will invite 6 a.m. shoppers.

Likewise for Wyomissing’sBerkshire Mall, according toJoe Nosti in mall management.

Some retailers have electedto open at a more modest hour.Laura McDowell, spokes-woman for The TJX Cos. Inc.,Framingham, Mass., said its off-price clothing stores, T.J. Maxxat Berkshire Mall West andMarshalls at BroadcastingSquare, will open at 8 a.m.

And one retail complex, VFOutlet Village in Wyomissing,will be opening an hour laterthan last year.

Jane Webster, marketing di-rector for the village, said salestrends from 2005 showed thatcrowds hadn’t arrived at 6 a.m.,so this year the village willopen at 7 a.m. However, somestores may open earlier, shesaid.

■ Contact reporter Christopher Hinz at610-371-5050 or chinz@readingeagle.com.

Better wake up early on Black FridayRetailers say bargain hunters get to stores beforecrowds get there.

The originThe term Black Friday for the day after Thanksgiving is believed to

have originated with retailers whose higher sales that day put theirstores in the profitability column — in the black — for the calendaryear.

Although Black Friday traditionally kicks off the Christmas shoppingseason and is one of the busiest retailing days of the year, the highestsales volume day is often Christmas Eve or the last Saturday beforeChristmas.Source: retailindustry.about.com/od/abouttheretailindustry/g/black_friday.htm

Berkshire Mall — 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (some stores may open earlier)Best Buy — 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.Boscov’s — 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.Circuit City — 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.Fairgrounds Square Mall — 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (some stores may

open earlier)Marshalls — 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.Sam’s Club — 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.Target — 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.T.J. Maxx — 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.VF Outlet Village — 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (some stores may open earlier)Wal-Mart — 5 a.m. to midnight (for stores not open 24 hours)

Black Friday hours

By Jon FassnachtReading Eagle

FOR RETAILERS to makea splash these days,they need to focus moreon what’s around theirshelves rather than

what’s on them.Simply putting out competi-

tively priced merchandise isn’tenough, according to Pamela N.Danziger, president andfounder of Unity Marketing, anEast Cocalico Township, Lan-caster County, company that fo-cuses on consumer trends.

“Retailers big and small facethe same basic challenges now:Shoppers are demanding morethan just a selection of mer-chandise at a reasonable pricefrom the stores that they fre-quent,” Danziger wrote in hernew book, “Shopping: Why WeLove It and How Retailers CanCreate the Ultimate CustomerExperience” (Kaplan Publish-ing, 2006).

“They want their shoppingexperiences and the stores thatthey frequent to really pop withspecial features that involvethe customer, build their cu-

riosity, give off a contagious en-ergy...,” she wrote.

Essentially, shopping needsto feel less like, well, shopping.And here’s how to do it.

Godfrey’s —Welcome to Dogdom

It’s only two years old, but it’simpossible to deny that Bar-bara Emmett’s business haslegs.

They usually come in fours,with a tail wagging furiously.

Emmett is the owner of God-frey’s — Welcome to Dogdom, a4-acre tract in Brecknock Town-ship that is a canine’s paradise.The business features a groom-ing center, a learning center, aplay park, an obstacle course,even a wading pool.

But the centerpiece is thelifestyle shop, a labyrinthlikeconverted barn with a slew ofcanine-related merchandise— jewelry, postcards, originalpaintings and photos, food,plates, upscale pet beds, evenDonovan McNabb and BenRoethlisberger doggie jer-seys.

Pamela N. DanzigerTitle: President and founderof Unity Marketing, an EastCocalico Township, LancasterCounty, market-research firmspecializing in consumer in-sights.

Web site: www.whypeoplebuy.com

E-mail: pam@unitymarketingonline.com

Education: Bachelor’s de-gree in English literature fromPenn State University andmaster of library sciencefrom University of Maryland,College Park. Lincoln Park na-tive and Wilson High Schoolgraduate

Experience: Librarian for aWashington, D.C., trade asso-ciation, marketing and busi-ness planning for AT&T, direc-tor of competitive analysis forFranklin Mint.

Books: “Why People BuyThings They Don’t Need”(Paramount Market Publish-ing, 2002); “Let Them EatCake” (Dearborn Publishing,2004); “Shopping: Why WeLove It and How Retailers CanCreate the Ultimate ShoppingExperience” (Kaplan Publish-ing, 2006).

Appearances: NBC’s “TodayShow,” “CBS News SundayMorning,” Fox News, NationalPublic Radio’s “Marketplace”

Shopsthat

A retail expert goes on aspree to find stores that keepcustomers coming back

Reading Eagle: Ryan McFadden

Barbara Emmett, right, owner of Godfrey’s — Welcome to Dogdom, Brecknock Township, and Pamela N. Danziger, author of “Shop-ping: Why We Love It and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Customer Experience,” check out a wall of satisfied canine customers.

Charles A. Lavigna, owner of The Shoppes of Green Valley, South Heidelberg Township, takes Danzig-er on a tour of his business, where a peacock feather-bedecked Christmas tree grabs her eye.

Shops continues on C2

Editor’s note: Retail analyst and former Berks County residentPamela N. Danziger spent a recent morning here visiting area retailersthat fit her “shops that pop” equation.

Pop quizIn her new book, “Shopping: Why We Love It and HowRetailers Can Create the Ultimate Customer Experi-ence,” Pamela N. Danziger lists seven attributes thatmake shops pop. Below, the attributes are followedby a few retailers Danziger said fit each description.■ High levels of customer involvement and interaction:Shoppers don’t just browse the aisles; encouragescustomers to touch, feel, taste, try on and participatein the store in a more involving way. Barnes & NobleBooksellers, Home Depot Inc.■ Evocation of shopper curiosity: Excites consumercuriosity to explore and experience, from the shopwindows and entrance through the different dis-plays. Trendy retailer Anthropologie, The Shoppesof Green Valley■ A contagious, electric quality: Exudes energy and ex-citement; so kinetic that even shoppers not all that intothe category feel there is something in the store forthem. Godfreys — Welcome to Dogdom, The Ap-ple Store, Apple Corp.’s retail store.

■ Convergence between atmosphere, store designand merchandise: Presents a comprehensive visionthat captures all the tangible and intangible ele-ments. VF Outlet Village Complex, NordstromInc.■ An authentic concept: More than just a store sell-ing stuff; conceptually driven and reflects a vision-ary’s values. It transcends being just a store into anew realm of experience. Cabela’s Corp., TenThousand Villages.■ Right price/value proposition: Must offer superiorvalue at a reasonable cost; aims to get the price/su-perior value proposition right, and prices goods nei-ther too high nor too low for the value. TargetCorp., Costco Wholesale Corp.■ Accessibility, not exclusive and free from preten-sions: Has all the preceding qualities, but also is im-mediately accessible to everyone, free from preten-sions of exclusivity or snobbishness. Saks Fifth Av-enue.

C2 READING EAGLE, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2006 | BUSINESS

“There’s something in it foreveryone,” said Danziger, who hasmade a career out of studying buy-ing habits. “I’m not a dog person,but all I’m thinking about is whatI’m going to get for my dog-lovingfriends.”

Jackson, a 7-year-old golden re-triever is the “O.G.” — officialgreeter — welcoming and sniffingvisitors to make sure they’re ac-ceptable before returning to hisperch beside the main counter.

“What I’ve always said is, dogpeople need a community in BerksCounty,” Emmett said. “From goingthrough raising a golden retriever,I really wanted to network with doglovers like me. It was like being anew parent.”

Explaining the store’s maindraw, Danziger said: “The mistakeabout retail is people think it is aproduct business — it’s a peoplebusiness. And this is a concept. It’smore than just a store; it is alifestyle. It’s the difference be-tween a dog as a pet and a dog as afamily member.”

Proof that Dogdom is more thana bunch of items came when Em-mett tried to start a delivery serv-ice.

“When I asked people, ‘Do youwant deliveries?’ they would say,‘No, this is my happy place. This iswhere I come to escape,’” Emmettsaid.

The Shoppes of Green ValleyHolding a bag of Barefoot Con-

tessa dry baking mix with a look ofsurprise on her face, Danzigersummarized a strength of TheShoppes of Green Valley: “Curiosi-ty. It’s a garden center — you don’texpect to find cupcake mix.”

Indeed, the South HeidelbergTownship business, which doessell its share of nursery and gar-den-related items, is a veritablegrab bag of products and smells. Asyou wind your way through itsaisles, the permeating odors shiftfrom the sharp spices of candles tothe silky aroma of flowers, withquite a few in between.

“There’s something magicalaround every corner,” Danzigersaid. “You can’t leave until youtake it all in. The displays are verywelcoming, very personal. It’s likeshopping at somebody’s house,which we all want to do. We all lookin everyone’s medicine cabinet.”

Charles A. Lavigna, who openedthe business in 1974 in a two-cargarage, said The Shoppes of GreenValley turns on impulse buying,making display extremely impor-

tant.“We have a real talented staff

who can make great displays withour merchandise,” Lavigna said. “Ithink customers appreciate that.We’re small. We can stay on top ofthe market. When there’s a trend,we are there right away.”

Barnes & Noble BooksellersAt Barnes & Noble Booksellers

in Broadcasting Square Shopping

Center, Spring Township, Danzigernoticed what customers were do-ing.

“Meetings,” she said, pointing toa couple poring over notebooks.

“Working,” she said, gesturing toa man with a laptop.

“Socializing,” she said, motion-ing to two females sharing a laughover cups of coffee.

She didn’t mention reading,even though the store is primarily

known as a bookseller. But that’sthe point.

“It’s really the community,” shesaid. “Every Barnes & Noble I havebeen to has a group of people thathas become friends here. It’s foradults, in particular. We reallydon’t have that many opportunitiesto connect with people. It’s hard forpeople who are out of college tomake new friends.”

And this destination appeal isthe store’s biggest asset.

“All the research says the longersomeone stays at a store, the morethey’ll buy,” Danziger said. “Soanything you can do to help peoplestay longer will pay off.”

She also noted that Barnes & No-ble avoids the cookie-cutter ap-proach, tailoring its business mod-el to local communities.

The retailer was involved inReading Reads: The Greater Read-ing Literary Festival, which cele-brated Berks County’s literary her-itage. And the store pulls from itscustomer base when looking forseasonal help, according to HeidiStauffer, an assistant manager.

■ Contact reporter Jon Fassnacht at 610-371-5017 or jfassnacht@readingeagle.com.

DESPITE MAJOR HIKES in en-ergy prices, recent econom-ic data suggest the economy

is robust and expanding. Why,then, is the stock market hover-ing around break-even territorythis year, instead of continuingto grow with the economy? If theeconomy is doing well, then the

stock market must be doing well... or so you would think.

That is not entirely the case.Wall Street does not care onlyabout was or is. It cares aboutwill. Wall Street looks to tomor-row.

One of my favorite calls tomy radio show occurred inmid-1991. It was from a womannamed Debbie. She was a sin-cere, but thoroughly exasperat-ed, woman.

“I just don’t understand this!”she gasped. “When the economywas going strong in the 1980s,the stock market crashed, yetwhile we’re in the midst of thisterrible recession, the stockmarket is reaching new all-timehighs! What’s going on?

“Has the financial world

gone mad?”Not at all. What Debbie didn’t

understand is that Wall Streettalks in future speak. Stockscrashed in 1987, not because theeconomy had suddenly turnedbad, but because Wall Street be-lieved the economy was going toturn bad. And the recession in1990 proved Wall Street right.Then, in 1991, as the recessionreached its peak, the stock mar-ket reached highs, in contrast towhat Debbie thought the marketshould do. After all, how couldstocks make money in the mid-dle of a recession?

I hope that by now you’re be-ginning to understand howWall Street prices stocks. I usethe word beginning becauseyou might have the impression

that the stock market works inan efficient, orderly manner.

If Wall Street is so good atpredicting the future, how comeit lowered stock prices in 1987 inanticipation of a recession,which didn’t happen until 1991?The fact is, it isn’t so good. (Alook back in time reveals the1987 crash may have been pre-mature. Wall Street was obligedto return prices to pre-crash lev-els, only to initiate a second cor-rection in the form of the mini-crash of 1989, which still couldbe considered premature.)

As a well-known moneymanager once told me, “I cor-rectly called the crash of ’87,but I called it five years early.”

Indeed, stock prices antici-pate recessions and recoveries.

The stock market has fallenas early as 12 months beforethe nation entered a recession,and regained its strength up toeight months before the rest ofthe nation.

Throughout this article, I’veused Wall Street in the singu-lar. However, the financialmarkets consist of several hun-dred thousand analysts, re-searchers, statisticians, econo-mists, mathematicians, com-puter scientists, physicists (yes,physicists), brokers and tradersfrom around the world — not tomention investors. So don’t belulled into thinking Wall Streetis a single unit.

Not only is it not, its playersare not even homogeneous. Withso many people offering so

many opinions, it’s hard to be-lieve Wall Street is able to makeany predictions with accuracy.

Whatever the outlook — rosyor bleak — don’t make knee-jerkdecisions based on today’s head-lines and market conditions.The market’s jitters may be asign of slower economic growth,but isn’t that normal? The econ-omy, similar to the stock market,doesn’t go straight up.

Instead, it bounces duringthe short term, but maintains aconsistent upward trend overthe long term. That’s what ismost important — that you stayfocused on the long term.

■ Contact Ric Edelman, a columnist atUnited Media and author of several books,including “Ordinary People, ExtraordinaryWealth,” at money@ricedelman.com.

What today’s market says about tomorrow

Check it out!

Scripps Howard News ServiceMODESTO, Calif. — Three-year-old Kevin

Creed went looking for trouble in a Sears store inIdaho nearly 50 years ago.

He dashed away from his older brother,climbed onto a mannequin stand and ducked un-der the skirt on display.

“As I rounded the corner,” recalled his moth-er, Merry Creed, now of Sonora, Calif., “all Icould see were these two little legs in jeans,sticking out from the mannequin’s skirt. I almostfainted.”

Plenty of parents have tales to tell about chil-dren running off in department stores, scream-ing in grocery aisles or otherwise turning shop-ping into an ordeal.

It’s a challenge as well for the store owners.They like to have young families as customersbut also must keep them from breaking the mer-chandise or disturbing other shoppers.

Businesses have come up with several ways todeal with the issue.

Vintage Faire Mall in Modesto, Calif., andsome other shopping centers have play areaswhere antsy children can blow off energy — or berewarded for behaving in the stores.

The only drawback is the occasional parentwho leaves a child unsupervised in the area, saidAdrenna Alkhas, assistant marketing manager atVintage Faire.

Some grocers provide little carts for childrento push, or full-size carts with kid seats shapedsimilar to police cars or fire engines.

Others offer free cookies. About a quarter ofRaley’s stores have free child care.

“It’s a great convenience for people becauseit gives their children something fun to dowhile the parents shop,” Raley’s spokeswomanJennifer Ortega said of the chain’s Play Carerooms.

Children 2 to 8 can use the rooms, which arestocked with toys, books and videos. The employ-ees who watch them have had backgroundchecks and first-aid training.

“It’s less stress while shopping,” said MelanieNunes of Oakdale, Calif., who used the service inTurlock for the first time for son Kobe anddaughter Kylie. “And it’s more fun for them.”

The Play Care in Turlock is open from 10 a.m.to 7 p.m. daily. Parents must sign their childrenin and out, and they cannot leave the store with-out them.

The Dented Chef, a kitchen-supply store inModesto, has had little trouble with rambunc-tious children, co-owner Judi Rackley said.

She said they tend to behave if their parentsuse the visit as a chance to teach them aboutcooking.

“Bring them in on it, and that makes it easier,”she said. “You need to make it a family thing.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics offerssimilar advice: A mother comparing prices onblouses might turn the trip into a fun math les-son.

But kids will be kids — stubborn and de-manding at times — and a firm stance can beneeded.

Billie Costa of Modesto recalled taking a pre-school granddaughter to a market. The girl got tohave an ice cream treat but refused for severalminutes to pick a flavor. Her grandmother finallytold her that they were leaving.

“She screamed all the way through checkoutand all the way to the car,” Costa said.

But that firmness paid off, she said: The girlnever hesitated to quickly choose her treat on fu-ture visits.

Merry Creed, the survivor of the mannequinincident, said shopping with children is a featthat only the brave or crazy will try.

But she also said they can learn to be good.“Kids understand a lot more than we give

them credit for,” she said. “I think you just needto explain to them that they are out in public andthat’s how you act.”

Businesses helpshoppers with kids

For more infoFrom our news staff

Godfrey’s — Welcome to Dog-domAddress: 4267 New Holland Road,Brecknock TownshipPhone: 610-777-5755 or toll-free877-436-4366 (877-4-DOGDOM)

The Shoppes of Green ValleyAddress: 4610 Penn Ave., South Hei-delberg TownshipPhone: 610-678-6711

Barnes & Noble BooksellersAddress: 2351 Paper Mill Road,Broadcasting Square Shopping Center,Spring TownshipPhone: 610-236-0100

VF Outlet VillageAddress: 801 Hill Ave., WyomissingPhone: 610-378-0408 or toll-free800-772-8336

Ten Thousand VillagesAddress: 240 N. Reading Road (Route272), EphrataPhone: 717-721-8400

TargetAddress: 2769 Paper Mill Road,Broadcasting Square Shopping Center,Spring TownshipPhone: 610-374-9875

Newsmakers form policyEvery Sunday, the Reading Eagle publishes Newsmaker items and photos

of Berks and Schuylkill county residents and former residents who have beenpromoted to management positions in which they supervise staff.

Do not send a press release about the promotion.Follow this procedure:A Newsmaker form has been added to the Reading Eagle Web site,

www.readingeagle.com. All Newsmaker items must be filled out onour forms, either downloaded and submitted or e-mailed to us. Write tobusiness@readingeagle.com.

To access, go to our Web site, click on “Newsmakers” under “Spe-cial Moments” on our home page. Indicate on the form whether a pho-to will be submitted.

A recent electronic file of a photo can be sent by e-mail; a glossyphoto by mail to Reading Eagle, P.O. Box 582, Reading, Pa. 19603-0582; or by delivery at Reading Eagle, 340 Court St.

The electronic photo file should be either a jpg or a tif. Paper copiesof digital photos cannot be used. A photo can be scheduled, for news-paper use, free of charge, by contacting the business editor, Karen L.Miller, at 610-371-5049.

Please include all of the information listed on the form, particularly theexact municipality where you live and work, not a postal address. Exactstreet addresses will not be published, but they are required to allow us toprint the information accurately. This is a free public service.

From our news staffGregory J. Bechtel was named

director of estimating atBurkey Construction Co., 506Morgantown Road.

In his new position, Bechtelwill supervise estimating andpreconstruction services.

Bechtel of Amity Townshipwas employed for more than20 years in the constructionindustry, last working in Col-legeville, Montgomery County,as an estimator and projectmanager.

He has a bachelor’s degreefrom West Virginia University.

● ● ●

Tony J. Sacco was named ex-ecutive vice president atPennSterling Bank, Wyomiss-ing.

In his new position, Saccowill be responsible for busi-ness services.

Sacco of Mohnton was seniorvice president.

A native of Tamaqua,Schuylkill County, Sacco grad-uated from Albright Collegewith a bachelor’s degree in bi-ology.

Newsmakers

Gregory J.Bechtel

Tony J. Sacco

Ric EdelmanThe truth about money

Reading Eagle: Ryan McFadden

Retail expert Pamela N. Danziger, at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, SpringTownship, is doing what she says customers do at the diversified book-store — they meet, socialize and work.

SHOPS | Retail expert spots some winnersContinued from C1

Editor’s note: Retail expert PamelaN. Danziger offered some insights onother area stores that fit her “shopsthat pop” equation:

VF Outlet VillageThe venerable Wyomissing institu-

tion was a favorite of Danziger’s whenshe was attending Penn State Berkscampus.

“It truly is the granddaddy of all fac-tory outlets and it truly was miracu-lous when it came here. Today, youhave factory-outlet shops and luxuryfactory-outlet malls, but they don’thave that true factory-outlet feeling.And that’s why we have bus after buscoming there. It’s not really about sav-ing money. It’s the thrill of the hunt —finding something you would have topay four times as much for in yourmall.”

Ten Thousand VillagesThe Ephrata business, affiliated

with the Mennonite Central Commit-tee, scours the globe to select handi-works to sell.

“They really care about people. Thestore is sort of an outgrowth of that.They go around the world findingcraftspeople and really giving themhope because they give fair wages forgoods and bring them back to sell intheir stores. It’s really unusual, exoticitems. It’s like going to a market inVietnam or Africa. And you knowyou’re doing good. You’re doing goodand getting good.”

Target Corp.The quirky national discounter has

carved a bull’s-eye-shaped niche for it-self, deftly balancing chic and compet-itive prices.

“When I did focus groups for thebook, shoppers just love Target. It’sclean, it is well-lighted, it’s very organ-ized. It’s that little attention to detailand the environment that makes it sospecial. There is the racetrack design,which means that you follow around ina racetrack where everything is visibleoff to your sides. And the prices arevery attractive, which makes the expe-rience that much better.”

Holiday predictionsFrom our news staff

Good news for retailers: Pamela N.Danziger expects people to spendmore this holiday season. Bad newsfor some: They won’t be spending thatextra dough at discounters.

“We’ve seen very active gift-givingthroughout the year, so I don’t thinkthat’s going to change throughout theholiday season,” she said.

Based upon the latest survey byDanziger’s company, Unity Marketing,gift givers are expected to spend anaverage of $949 this year, up 9.1 per-cent from $870 last year.

The survey — based on 700 giftgivers with an average age of 43and household income of $61,700— also found that 69 percent of peo-ple expect to shop at a discounter

this year, down from 78 percent lastyear.

“My speculation is that discountsales aren’t going to be as powerful adriver this year,” she said. “People feela little bit more generous and have alittle bit more money in their pocketsthanks to gas coming down, and whenthey shop for Christmas, they wantmore of an experience.”

Danziger’s predictions for big sellersthis season:■ Gift certificates.■ Gifts of experience, such as din-

ing, entertainment andbeauty/spa.

■ Little luxuries, such as flowers,soaps, perfumes, gourmet-food bas-kets and wine.