Black Friday report from the Westfield San Francisco Center, Bloomingdales 29 November 08
On the day after Thanksgiving, I went to the large shopping center in downtown San Francisco, the one which has a Bloomingdales and Nordstrom’s. I went to have lunch with a friend at Out the Door, the sister of Slanted Door, in the basement food court. To my surprise, although the shopping center should have been mobbed — it was after all Black Friday — it was not terribly crowded.
I went to Bloomingdales after lunch and found very good bargains in the shoe department: more than 40% off designer shoes from Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Cole Haan, Sergio Rossi and more. Of course the Sergio Rossi boots I had my eyes on were originally $1000 so 40% off means they still cost $600, which is not exactly cheap.
Upstairs in the women’s designer clothing department, it was 40% off on Marc by Marc Jacobs, Theory, Diane von Furstenberg, among others. But some markdowns were very disappointing. For James Perse shirts and dresses, the discount was only 20%. I’m waiting till the end of Christmas or even till January. James Perse makes the softest, most body hugging cotton shirts but they cost $74 or more.
The most disappointing aspect of the sales, whether at Nordstroms or Bloomingdales, is that the makeup, skincare and fragrance items are not discounted. Annick Goutal perfumes are still sold for $80. Bliss Body Butter is still $35. The sales people try to tempt you by giving you an extra small gift, but the gifts are pathetic. I spent some time at the cosmetics counters of Bloomingdales and Nordstroms to see if a lot of people were buying. Usually at this time of the year, these counters are packed. This year, the sales people seemed bored and desperate to move merchandise.
Beauty 
Food and drink 
Lifestyle 
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