For some early-bird Black Friday shoppers, dawn could mark the end of their day
Each year, it seems Black Friday shoppers have to set their alarm clocks earlier and earlier — if they bother to go to bed at all.
Kohl’s this year is moving its Black Friday opening to 3 a.m. But the retailer is still a slacker compared to Toys R Us, where Black Friday doesn’t actually begin on Friday, but at 10 p.m. Thursday. Wal-Mart. meanwhile, rolls out some Black Friday deals at midnight Thursday.
But even as retailers rush to be the first on Black Friday, there have already been waves of pre-Black Friday sales. Sears, for example, has already had weeks of “Black Friday Now” sales. So is Black Friday, which falls on the day after Thanksgiving and marks the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, a big deal any more?
“It’s always a big deal,” said Allison Towe, general manager of the Outlets at Castle Rock, which kicks off 23 straight hours of “Moonlight Madness” shopping at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. “It’s a tradition. It’s something that people look forward to, especially those shoppers that are into value.”
At The Citadel mall, the weekend before Christmas is usually the biggest holiday sales weekend, said mall general manager Victoria Harley. Even so, she said, “Black Friday is still a big deal at The Citadel. Many tenants are opening as early as 4 a.m. that day only. Further, several stores are keeping their promotions under wrap in order to make a bigger splash and create excitement on Black Friday.”
Crowds could be a bit bigger this year than last. According to a survey conducted by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation, up to 138 million people plan to shop Black Friday weekend, up from 134 million who planned to do so last year.
While crowds could be an issue, road conditions shouldn’t be. While there could be a definite chill in the early morning air on Black Friday — the forecast calls for a cold turkey day, with highs in the 20s and an overnight low Thursday night of around 12 degrees — dry conditions are expected.
That’s a forecast that suits Deanna DeLarge, marketing coordinator of the Promenade Shops at Briargate in northern Colorado Springs.
“As long as the skies are clear, we do great no matter how cold it is,” she said.
Snow or no snow, not everyone is jazzed about Black Friday.
“I no longer go shopping in the dark of night, standing in long, cold lines and driving from here to there and back again,” said one reader who posted to Gazette.com.
For those who are eager to join the Black Friday frenzy, here a list of when major retailers are opening their doors:
Ace Hardware — 7 a.m.
Best Buy — 5 a.m. (tickets passed out two hours prior)
Hobby Lobby — 8 a.m.
J.C. Penney — 4 a.m.
KMart — 5 a.m.
Kohls — 3 a.m.
Macy’s — 4 a.m.
Old Navy — midnight Thursday
Office Depot — 6 a.m.
Outlets at Castle Rock — 10 p.m. Thursday
Radio Shack — 5:30 a.m.
Sears — 4 a.m.
Staples — 6 a.m.
Target — 4 a.m.
Toys R Us — 10 p.m. Thursday (there are also other doorbuster deals beginning at 5 a.m. Friday)
Ultimate Electronics — 4 a.m.
Wal-Mart — Some deals begin at 12 a.m.; other doorbuster deals go into effect at 5 a.m.Other local special hours: Chapel Hills Mall opens at 6 a.m., The Citadel mall at 7 a.m. and The Promenade Shops at Briargate at 9 a.m., though some stores at the centers will open earlier. Downtown Colorado Springs parking garages are offering $1 parking all day Friday.
BLACK FRIDAY TIPS• Black Friday is not the day to cruise the aisles, hoping you’ll stumble onto the perfect gift idea. Ask family and friends for their wish lists well ahead of time.• Do your homework. Study the Black Friday circulars in Thursday’s newspaper and check out Black Friday websites such as bfads.net. Fatwallet.com has a filter that allows you to search all Black Friday ads for certain product categories. It’s at www.fatwallet.com/black-friday.• Use online price-comparison tools such as PriceGrabber.com and Shopzilla.com to make sure the advertised Black Friday price is truly worth fighting the crowds for.• Check the website for each store you plan to visit on Friday for coupons you can use on top of Black Friday deals.• Always check with each retailer what you can return and when. And watch out for the rules on mail-in rebates: what you need and how soon you must mail them. If you don’t get a separate copy of your receipt for this purpose, request one.SOURCES: News services, Consumerworld.org
In this file photo taken Nov. 27, 2009, Black Friday shoppers lined up to pay for their purchases at a Kohl’s store in Omaha, Neb. Photo by STF