DATE: Thursday, November 27, 1997           TAG: 9711270701

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A16  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MICHAEL CLARK, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   43 lines

RETAILERS GET READY FOR ``BLACK FRIDAY''

Like a riveting suspense movie, a shopping excursion on Friday will feature spine-tingling moments, a cast of thousands and even a little blood.

The blood is for a good cause and there's no real danger, except for the hazards of plastic, as in credit card spending.

Called ``Black Friday'' in retail circles, the day after Thanksgiving is renowned for being the busiest shopping day of the year.

``We expect somewhere between 35,000 and 40,000 people,'' said Richard C. Polley, vice president and general manager of Military Circle, Norfolk.

The mall is doing some things ``quite different from the norm'' this year, Polley said. That includes offering free massages to shoppers from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The day after Thanksgiving was once known as the start of the shopping season, but retailers say shoppers were in full swing even before Nov. 15, when Santa Claus arrived at the malls.

Friday won't be a slow shopping day, though. Retailers expect it to be busier than in holidays past.

``We should have about 60(000) to 70,000 guests Friday,'' said John Westbrook, general manager of Lynnhaven Mall.

Pembroke Mall will also host the American Red Cross Turkey Blast blood drive Friday, from 10 a.m to 4 p.m.

The blood will flow at Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake, too, as the Red Cross hopes residents with shopping in their blood are in the giving mood.

Not everyone shops at malls, though, especially after the 10 p.m. closing time.

That's when 24-hour ``super'' discount stores can take charge.

Virginia Beach has three such retailers - Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target - in a triangle bordered by Princess Anne Road, Lynnhaven Parkway and Holland Road.

With consumers shopping 'round the clock, the plastic will be flying Friday and that means post-holiday credit card bills.

In a holiday debt survey, the association found that 45 percent of shoppers believe they will pay off holiday charges in two months or less. Another 23 percent say it will take two months or longer.

``The typical time for consumers to pay off charge cards is six months,'' Boerger said.

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