Photos by Marcus Yam | The Roanoke Times

Vicky Grosvenor checks the size of a skirt at Kathy's Boutique, which will cut prices for Black Friday for the first time ever.

Christina Gordon waits on a credit card receipt at clothing store Vivendi, which has seen sales slow amid recent financial news.

Vicky Grosvenor (left), a relative of the owner at Kathy's Boutique, shops at the Roanoke County store with her granddaughter Chiara Craighead. Apparel and accessories at Kathy's Boutique will be discounted on Black Friday.

Christina Gordon fills out a handwritten receipt while closing a sale at Vivendi on Electric Road in Roanoke County.

Kathy Grosvenor is making an unprecedented change. For the first time in her Roanoke County shop's 17-year history, she's slashing prices Friday and through the weekend, the holiday shopping season's kickoff.

All apparel at Kathy's Boutique, her store at West Village, will be marked down 40 percent. Jewelry, shoes and other accessories will be 10 percent off.

"I want to compete with the department stores," Grosvenor said this week, inside her cozy shop where instrumental music played in the background and white lights glimmered from a Christmas tree in the window.

Of course, she's hoping to increase her sales. But Grosvenor said she understands how the economy is hurting people. And though she'll likely lose money "big time" by heavily discounting merchandise, "if you don't have it, how can you spend it?" she said of people's financial pressures.

This holiday season, retailers are sending an empathetic message to consumers: We feel your pain.

Everywhere you turn, from national chains to local stores, a message of value and savings is being pushed in subtle ways as financial struggles threaten to dampen holiday spending spirits this year.

And with the important Christmas shopping season ramping up Friday, some Roanoke-area retailers such as Grosvenor are slashing store prices for the first time ever.

The poor economic climate likely will shrink traffic at stores and malls nationwide this Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when retailers turn on pre-dawn doorbuster sales to lure deal-hungry shoppers. Slightly fewer people are expected to shop this weekend. The National Retail Federation predicts 128 million people will head to stores this Friday through Sunday, down from 135 million last year.

Shopping centers in the Roanoke and New River valleys will open as early as 5 a.m., with J.C. Penney opening its stores nationwide at 4 a.m. The Disney Store at Valley View Mall in Roanoke will pull some of the earliest wake-up hours in the region. It plans to open at 3:30 a.m.

Some stores with Roanoke Valley locations, such as Gander Mountain, Hamrick's and Kmart, even will open their doors on Thanksgiving Day, getting a head start on the shopping rush.

Retailers have rolled out large discounts before Black Friday in the past, but the magnitude of the deals this year has intensified, with promotions that include such offers as buy two, get one free, said Dan Butler, who is vice president of merchandising and retail operations at the National Retail Federation, during a Tuesday conference call about the holiday season.

The message of value is more important than ever, given the state of the economy. Retailers are running with it.

"Style. Quality. Price matters. Give what matters." states J.C. Penney's holiday television advertisements.

"Look great, feel rich. You can always lie about the price," screamed a recent window advertisement at Sunglasses Hut at Valley View Mall in Roanoke.

Target, meanwhile, is touting holiday budget helpers, with suggestions of gifts that are less than $25, such as a jumbo cocktail shaker and a mini photo-viewer key chain. This season, the discount retailer is pushing the "Pay Less" part of its brand, which is "Expect More. Pay Less," said Michaela Gleason, a Target spokeswoman.

These messages are essential for retailers, given forecasts that consumers may spend less this season, said Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman for the NRF.

"If every retailer was out there promoting big screens and fur coats, shoppers would think that retailer's out of touch," Davis said.

Virginia Wiegand is taking that strategy to heart. Wiegand, who emphasized that she's also a consumer, owns Vivendi, a women's boutique in Roanoke County selling Brazilian clothing and accessories. Like Grosvenor, she's planning to mark down all merchandise in her store Friday, the first year ever that she has offered Black Friday discounts. Her store merchandise will be discounted 20 percent.

Business at her shop has slowed since the news about U.S. automakers' financial troubles last week. She's hoping to give shoppers an incentive to spend money, despite gloomy economic news.

"This year, I still think people will be out with their family, looking for deals" on Black Friday, Wiegand said.

Affordable gifting is a theme this year at another Roanoke County store, Willow Grove. From glass serving pieces to monogrammed items, owner Mary Barton has made a conscious effort to stock some items that are less than $25.

"I think people are being more thoughtful about their gift giving," Barton said. "We're all very aware of what's going on with the economy. ... We're trying to do what we can to help customers, so that they can still get things they want for Christmas."

Some consumers already are putting savings into play this season.

Shirley Bowersox of Stuarts Draft will give Nintendo Wii's to her grandchildren this year. But to save money, she's not buying games to go with them.

"The games are expensive," she said last week while shopping at Valley View Mall.

Pam Butler is buying gift cards for everyone on her Christmas list. The plastic cards, she said, help her to budget spending easier.

"If you know you're going to buy $25, you've got $25," said Butler of Roanoke County. "By doing that, people get what they want."

Victoria Taylor, co-owner of downtown Roanoke shop The Gift Niche, said the Black Friday weekend will be an indicator of the strength of the holiday season. So far, the shop has not marked down Christmas decor, ornaments and other merchandise. Shoppers are "being very selective about what they do purchase," Taylor said.

This will be The Gift Niche's 26th holiday season, and "this is first time we've ever been nervous about Christmas," she said.