‘Black Friday’ Becoming ‘Black Thursday’
Stores no longer are holding holiday sales until “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving. The trend is toward opening stores and offering bargains as soon as late Thursday night.
Sears decided against opening on Thanksgiving from 7 a.m. until noon as it did last year. This year, however, Toys R Us opened at 9 p.m. and a long line began forming at 5 a.m. Some stores, like WalMart, remained open Thursday but withheld holiday sales until 10 p.m. Other stores that closed Thursday plan to open as early as 4 a.m. Friday.
The most coveted item at Toys R Us is a PlayStation 3 video game console that sells for $200. At the store near Citadel Mall, sisters Jennie Kiser and Misty Bruce were among the first in line for the console.
“We have five teenage kids and four younger kids,” said Kiser. “We have a lot to provide for.”
Bruce said, “We (already) have (Nintendo) Wii and they have X Box. That’s why we’re going to try the PS3 this year because the games are a little more mature, I think. We’re looking to save $600 to $700 by doing this tonight.”
The sisters said their families still managed to enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner while waiting in line. The store allowed only 50 people at a time to enter, to keep the initial rush under control.
Meanwhile, at the Best Buy on Powers Boulevard, a longer line snaked around the building as shoppers waited for coupons offering a 42-inch flat screen TV for $199. Some customers has been waiting since Tuesday, relaxing with sleeping bags and portable heaters.
Bruce spoke for many shoppers in line.
“It makes me sound really lame that this is exciting,” she said. “But I love it.”
Even Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving promoted for online shopping, is happening earlier. Many stores offered online specials Thursday.
The changing trend also affects fast food restaurants. They used to be closed on Thanksgiving, but now are opening on that day as more stores open at the same time.
