Coldwater Creek, a women’s apparel retailer, joined the large number of stores offering discount items on the day after Thanksgiving. In 2010, Coldwater Creek offered shoppers the chance to beat Black Friday lines by shopping a Thanksgiving weekend sale through their website. Sales were offered beginning Thanksgiving Day.http://www.coldwatercreek.com/

Black Friday sales are common in the retail industry with businesses trying to attract customers who are doing holiday shopping. Sales offers often include discount items, special deals for the day or weekend, and some which are time sensitive like Early Bird offers available only during certain hours of the sale. The name “Black Friday” signifies the point of the calendar year when retailers hope to see the financial reports enter the black, indicating a profitable sales year.http://www.blackfriday.org/history/

In hopes of being a part of National Retail Federations predicted 2.3% sales growth during the 2010 holiday shopping season, Coldwater Creek offered a Thanksgiving weekend sale to online shoppers as well as those shopping in stores on Black Friday.http://srph.it/bs2dkL For online shoppers, the Black Friday sales were available for purchase on Thanksgiving Day. In addition to discount offers on individual items, the store offered a 20% discount coupon code to further reduce shopping cost. The coupon code: OURGIFT is valid during the Black Friday weekend and continues to be usable until December 17, 2010. The website also offered free shipping during Thanksgiving weekend. http://www.coldwatercreek.com/DetailPU.aspx?version=topPromo_25freeph&TTL=12/17/10

Among the Thanksgiving weekend sales items shoppers could find:

• Jeans and Trouser markdowns to $39.95
• Jewelry 50% off
• Waterfall front vest - $29.95

Coldwater Creek originated as a home business in 1984. The company started as a mail order service and today is a specialty retailer for women’s clothing, gifts, jewelry and accessories. Merchandise is sold through retail outlets as well as through direct mail catalogs and an online store. Coldwater Creek is headquartered in Sandpoint, Idaho. http://www.facebook.com/ColdwaterCreek?v=app_4949752878#!/ColdwaterCreek?v=info The store offers discount coupons to online shoppers throughout the year.http://forums.gottadeal.com/showthread.php?190565-Coldwater-Creek-s-Friends-amp-Family-Event-Save-40-ColdwaterCreek.com&highlight=coldwater

Following the 2008 Black Friday shopping season, Coldwater Creek posted a quarterly financial report indicating a loss over previous years. The stores announced a 13% loss in revenue and cut the number of new stores opening in 2009 to 10.http://www.shoppingblog.com/blog/2170910 In 2009, the sales reports for the quarter which contained Black Friday showed an increase in revenues over the 2008 shopping season.http://news.reportlinker.com/n02434321/Coldwater-Creek-Announces-Fourth-Quarter-and-Fiscal-2009-Results.html#