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@THISHOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA

More Black Friday Shopping Online; Good Time to Buy Electronics; Protesters Announce Brown Friday, Boycotting Shopping.

Aired November 28, 2014 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The mad dash is on. Black Friday sales, they are upon us. It's been going on since Wednesday. Black Friday starts Wednesday or Tuesday.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: I feel like it started last month. This was a scene, brawls breaking out in stores across the country. People fighting over flat screen TVs, $5 Barbies. There are big crowds at the mall. But it's not what it was in the past. Yeah, we had to bleep that out. So many sales are being made online this year.

We have our "CNN Money" correspondent, Alison Kosik, here with us. Deb Feyerick is out in the crowd. She's at Newport Mall in Jersey City.

Deb, why don't we start with you?

I'm curious what you're seeing people buying. What are the best deals they're finding?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's interesting because it's been rather quiet up until now. This is the surge that some of the people were talking about yesterday, like Charcoal thursday, Monday is like Vortex Monday. There are a lot of different color schemes going on here. What we're seeing, though, and this is interesting, is that early in the morning when the overnight shoppers were here, and there were only about a handful of them. They had dozens of bags.

Now people are either starting to shop or shopping much more carefully. We're seeing things selling, people buying clothing, people buying bedding, some suitcases, one woman walked out with three deep fryers she was going to give as gifts and after all the various rebates, those were down to that $10. Michaela, you see all these ads that are in the newspapers, everybody's got them. It's not just about Black Friday anymore, it's really just about going to the dotcoms, making sure that if you're not sure you want to come out to the mall you can always go online, browse about then target shop once you get here.

BERMAN: Deb, we'll have to hold our questions on Vortex Monday.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: We have serious questions about that. BERMAN: Deb, thanks so much.

I want to bring in Alison Kosik here.

This is a question I've always had: Are these deals really that good? I mean, can you not get them two days before or after?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You're making a very good point. There was a study or survey done by nerd wallet which found a lot of the discounts that we're seeing now for Black Friday you could have found them earlier in the year if you were really keeping track. The question is, were you ready to start shopping for the holidays? The reality is Black Friday isn't what it used to be ten years ago. Foot traffic at brick and mortar stores is down. Guess why? Number one, those Black Friday deals are happening sooner. You mentioned earlier that we saw these Black Friday deals happening on Tuesday of this week. Also, the advent of the Internet. A lot of times everything you can see in the stores you get online.

PEREIRA: So it may be different for the shoppers, but for the retailers, this is the make or break time.

KOSIK: This is game on. This is the time where they make their pro fits and they're focusing online as well. This is where the growth area is for these retailers. Online shopping is expected to grow anywhere from 8 percent to 15 percent this year. Just so you know, so far the numbers are tallying up just on Thanksgiving most people went to their desktops to shop. 32 percent of those online shoppers, they went right to their phones, they were shopping on their phones not to mention, yes, they did also go shopping on turkey day so when they finished turkey and the fixings they went to Macy's. In fact, Macy's CEO said at 5:00 p.m. at the flagship store in New York City, 15,000 people were in line 5:00 on Thanksgiving waiting to get in.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: And they were getting heat for that because a lot of people were saying let your employees stay home, don't try and get me down there, I want to be home with my family.

(CROSSTALK)

KOSIK: Here's the thing. A lot of the employees who work that day, says Macy's CEO, were hired knowing that would be working on Thanksgiving. And, ironically, he says, the people who did work, 85 percent, they were the full time employees, wanting to get time and a half.

PEREIRA: That time and a half goes a long way in the holiday season.

BERMAN: Alison Kosik, great to have you with us.

PEREIRA: A tablet, a big screen TV, the latest cutting-edge digital camera, these are tech items you probably can get major deals on. Today, we'll tell you where those steals and deals are. And we might even have some apps that can help you find them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Black Friday. Sales, deal, even some steals. This is a good time of year if you are looking for any kind of electronic gadget.

BERMAN: Electronics are huge here with huge deals. All the stores, like Best Buy, Sears, Target. Man, you can get a flat screen, now is the time.

Let's bring in our analyst, Brett Larson.

PEREIRA: And you get two.

BRETT LARSON, CNN TECHNOLOGY ANALYST: Get two. They're so small now.

BERMAN: Brett, what have we got?

LARSON: One thing we want to tell you --

(CROSSTALK)

LARSON: -- their traffic is so good, their web site is down. We have a picture of it. It's hilarious because it proves the point more people are shopping online today. I say kudos to those of you home right now trying to shop online. You're not able to, unfortunately. But there are still good deals to have. You may have to leave your house and go outside.

There are right now we've got some TVs and some tablets. Tablets at best buy are a hundred buck bucks off and target is offering gift cards or a hundred bucks off.

PEREIRA: That's huge.

LARSON: An Xbox bundle, $100. IMac, $200 off. That's a good prices and they won't get much better. You rarely see discounts on Apple products.

BERMAN: No.

LARSON: They're like "we know you want our stuff."

PEREIRA: There's all these electronic coupons are hard to manage. We have our mobiles with us. I'm betting there are apps that can keep me straight.

LARSON: Dozens of apps. One that I like, Shop Advisor, the reason I like it as we're seeing these deals that are out where you go "I'm going to get the beats head phones and they're out" download shop advisor. It will give you an alert. Ibotta is a rebate app. Take a picture of your receipt, it creates are rebate for you. You're getting cash back.

BERMAN: Most of us don't follow through. PEREIRA: We say we're going to and don't.

LARSON: That's wasted money. You're leaving money on the table. That's what rebates are all about. Retail Me Not is great. The Amazon app is good to have because you can price compare with Amazon in the store.

PEREIRA: So many people are doing now that now. Look online, go back home, find a better deal.

BERMAN: Seems like all these cyber deals already and today is Friday.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: It's not Cyber Monday yet. There will be better deals online Monday?

LARSON: I think prices will continue to go down or go down again and see a new slew of things, will start getting discounted. Clothing and things like that. Gadgetry will continue to drop in price. There's the Beats head phones if you can find them at Target, you should buy them. They're $97. That's half price.

PEREIRA: Our director was --

(LAUGHTER)

PEREIRA: -- trying to get some. He was multitasking.

LARSON: We're multitasking.

PEREIRA: Is this the only thing we're buying, things that have batteries or plug in or are wireless? Are there other deals that are non-electronics?

LARSON: We love gadgetry.

PEREIRA: We do.

LARSON: Yeah. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

PEREIRA: But there are other deals to be had. Families are looking for toys. There are big discounts on those items as well.

LARSON: That's where Yaps come in handy. You can make sure if Barbie doll Dream House set is a good price or if you should have it delivered. The only caveat, with anything, make sure it get there is on time and that you're not paying extra. So if you're saving $20 but paying $15 --

(LAUGHTER)

-- is the $5 worth your time?

BERMAN: So the timing of this Cyber Monday thing in general, is Cyber Monday -- does Cyber Monday end on Cyber Monday? How many days do you have to get the deals is.

LARSON: That'll be around until a couple days before Christmas when they can't ship it out to you. I think FedEx said it's the 20 yeast where they're like, at this point, it's risky you're only leaving a few days and for inclement weather there's not enough time.

PEREIRA: Any sense the boycott is affecting places? You've been watching Twitter.

(CROSSTALK)

LARSON: There's lots of protesters. I think it's such a huge number are staying at home. Sales are still happening but people may or may not be shopping.

PEREIRA: Brett Larson, we'll talk to you about the aftermath.

LARSON: Yes.

PEREIRA: And I'm sure we'll talk to you about Monday.

LARSON: Yes. I have a feeling that's going to happen.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: We have some video we want to show you right now. If you were watching football you may have missed this. A dog that forgot the cardinal rule of the show rings. The one that says never bolt from your handler during one of the biggest dog shows of the year. Shame. Shame! Shame! The tail was not the only thing that got docked. It lost points. When you run away you lose points.

PEREIRA: That was at the National Dog Show in Philadelphia. The miniature pinscher wasn't having any of this, this show business. Owner looking horrified.

Let's point out the big winner, though. Can we just brag on Nathan, the bloodhound? You might remember that he almost won at Westminster earlier this year. That's a good looking dog.

BERMAN: And he did not run away.

PEREIRA: Who's a good doggie?

BERMAN: Please don't talk like that anymore.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: I was talking to the dog, not to you. You're a horrible human being. Oh, my goodness.

Ahead @THISHOUR, we'll go back to some news here. Protesters are calling for justice for Michael Brown by not shopping. They're called today Brown Friday after the shooting victim. We're going to look at what's going on in Chicago specifically. Our reporter is on the ground there. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: On this Black Friday, it's not just holiday shoppers out in force. Protesters are urging them all not to spend money and demand justice for Michael Brown.

BERMAN: Our Ted Rowlands is at one of the busiest malls in Chicago at Water Tower Place on Michigan Avenue.

Ted, what are you seeing so far?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're seeing a group of very peaceful protesters at a park across the street from Water Tower Place. There are shops literally all around this small park and there are a few dozen people here and they have been here for about an hour and they haven't left yet. If you look behind them, you'll see what Chicago police have. They basically surrounded them in this park and the folks are, according to the police, allowed to protest, in this area. But they are keeping a very watchful eye to make sure they don't disturb any traffic.

We've been talking to people here all morning out. They've been out for different reasons.

This is Christina Banks here.

Christina has a picture of her brother. My first question to you, Christina, did your brother die, and you said, no, he's very much alive, but you're worried about him. Explain.

CHRISTINA BANKS, PROTESTER: I think the situation in Ferguson highlights the need for us to stand up and protect our young black Americans here in the United States. And I'm representing all of the young black people that I surround myself with on a daily basis, including myself.

ROWLANDS: Why are you urging people not to shop?

BANKS: I think we should pay attention to this very real issue, and economic exchange is kind of the one thing that hasn't been touched yet. I think rioting is -- has its place. I think peaceful protests have its place, and economic dissension I think is a big thing that I want to support Brown Friday instead of Black Friday.

ROWLANDS: Thank you, Christina.

John and Michaela, Christina is just one of a few dozen people that we're going to watch in this area, making sure they do not move from this area.

PEREIRA: So far it looks as though things are peaceful. Ted, we also know there are protests happening nationwide, Boston to Seattle. We understand even in Winnipeg, Canada, there are protests on this Brown Friday. It seems like this has really taken off.

ROWLANDS: Yeah. They're getting people coming over who are out shopping and listening in to some of the speakers here. Whether or not it's going to have an effect on the bottom line, who knows? Events across the country and Canada.

BERMAN: Ted Rowlands, great to see you out there. Thanks so much.

PEREIRA: Other news, @THISHOUR, the Thanksgiving storm might be long gone. However, thousands of people in New England are still feeling its effects @THISHOUR. New Hampshire's governor says more than 100,000 people still do not have power thanks to the snow and then the downed power lines, because of that heavy snow. Hundreds of extra crews reportedly working to get everyone back on the grid. They're hoping it could be Sunday, or earlier if that happens. Temperatures tonight could hit the single digits. Shelters have been set up across the state.

BERMAN: Pope Francis is calling for religious tolerance to counter extremism in the Middle East. The pope is calling on people of all faith to show respect for human life, dignity and religious freedom. Thousands of Christians and Muslims have fled to Turkey to escape violence in Iraq and Syria.

PEREIRA: New fallout from sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby. Two Massachusetts colleges are cutting ties with the comedian. Cosby agreed to resign as honorary chairman of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, school fundraising campaign. Also, though, Berkeley, College of Music in Boston is ending its affiliation with Cosby. They had a scholarship in his name. He received an honorary degree from Berkeley back in 2004.

BERMAN: Let us know what you think of all of this, the allegations surrounding Bill Cosby, the reaction. Tweet us @THISHOUR. Find us on Facebook, /thishour.

PEREIRA: Nice picture of you there, John.

BERMAN: Thank you very much.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: We are counting down the days until a worldwide broadcast of "CNN Heroes, An All-Star Tribute." It is a CNN holiday tradition that honors the year's top-10 heroes and name's "CNN's Hero of the Year.

PEREIRA: So inspiring. So great. But wait for it. Until then, though, what about we tell you about last year's top honoree. Anderson Cooper caught up with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN HEROES, AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE: In 17 years, Chad Pregracke and his team have picked up trash from America's rivers.

(SHOUTING) COOPER: Last November, for his inspiring work, Chad picked up a big honor.

The 2013 "CNN Hero of the Year" is Chad Pregracke.

(APPLAUSE)

COOPER: Later, we caught up with him to get an inside look at what he does and how he does it.

At the heart of his work is a massive 800-ton barge. It looks like a floating junk yard, but --

Welcome to CNN Cribs.

-- it's also Chad's part-time home.

CHAD PREGRACKE, 2013 CNN HERO: So pretty much everything is reclaimed or recycled out of either old buildings, old barns.

COOPER: The goal is serious, but there is definitely quirk in this work.

PREGRACKE: This would be our creepy doll collection. Why do we have it? I really don't have any idea other than we find a lot of creepy dolls.

COOPER: And trash isn't all he needs to look out for on the river.

PREGRACKE: One of the safety concerns is actually the flying carp. They really do fly out of the water at high speeds and they get rather big.

COOPER: It's all part of Chad's work, work that also includes growing trees. Chad started this environmental effort in 2007, but he was able to expand it after being named "CNN Hero of the Year."

In the end, Chad's crusade is about much more than cleaning rivers.

PREGRACKE: It's about people taking action in their own communities. And that's really what it's all about. That's how you change the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: All right, so mark your calendars. "CNN Heroes" our annual tribute is airing on December 7th, at 8:00 p.m., right here on CNN. Everyday people doing extraordinary things. You'll find out who our 2014 hero is this year.

BERMAN: I don't want to give away too much, but it's the backstage reporting that really is the highlight.

PEREIRA: I wonder who did that.

BERMAN: Michaela Pereira, it's wonderful. (LAUGHTER)

Do not miss it. It's a terrific, terrific event. I can't wait to see it.

PEREIRA: That's it for us @THISHOUR, wrapping up our week with you. Thanks for joining us @THISHOUR. I'm Michaela Pereira.

BERMAN: And I'm John Berman.

"LEGAL VIEW," today with Pamela Brown, starts right now.