2011年11月24日星期四

Ready, set, shop ... Black Friday begins at midnight

The Black Friday shopping strategy used to include going to bed early on Thanksgiving Day and getting up before sunrise to catch the early morning bargains.

This year, local bargain hunters have a wide variety of options for the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season.

If they’re really in a hurry, they can lay down their knives and forks after dinner and go out to one of the few stores, such as Kmart in Carrollton, which will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Shoppers who want to limit their buying to the customary Friday can be at Carrollton Target at midnight, when the doors will open for a full day of Black Friday bargains.

Other local businesses will be opening at various early morning hours up to the regular weekday starting hours of 9 and 10 a.m., which some downtown stores will be observing.

The Carrollton Sears appliance store is kicking off the day at 4 a.m., with promotions on its wide-screen TVs, appliances and tools.

Kmart will open again at 5 a.m. and Radio Shack will open at 5:30 a.m. for its biggest shopping day of the year. Lizzard Thicket in McIntosh Plaza will open at 6 a.m.

Nationwide, economists are predicting a better holiday season than last year.

The National Retail Federation is predicting that 152 million people will go shopping on Black Friday, which is a 10.1 percent increase over last year’s 138 million shoppers.

Despite economic concerns, the AAA Consumer Pulse survey shows that 48 percent of shoppers plan to spend more money on gifts this year and more consumers plan to shop on Black Friday (51 percent), compared to the 47 percent last year.

Many of the smaller local merchants are foregoing the Black Friday crunch and are concentrating on later hours and even later weekends to lure shoppers to their stores.

Valerie Ayers at Classy Crickett said her store will observe its usual 10 a.m. opening on Friday.

“We figure everyone will hit the major stores first,” Ayers said.

The Squire Shop, a popular downtown clothing store,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their Floor tiles . will also open at 10 a.m., said owner April Harris.which applies to the first offshore merchant account only,

“A lot of people go the ‘big box’ stores early,” Harris said. “We usually start getting busy after lunch.”

However, she said, her shop is having a “balloon pop” promotion this Friday, which should bring in some early shoppers. She said the shop has 50 balloons which are filled with prize certificates.

“Each customer gets to pop a balloon and there’s prizes in every one,A long established toolmaking and trade Injection moulds company.” Harris said.

But she said the Sunday immediately before Christmas often tops Black Friday in sales.

Jim Carter, who co-owns Sit and Sleep with his wife,If so, you may have a cube puzzle . Delores, said he may open “a little earlier” than his usual 9 a.m. Friday.

“We won’t see a lot of customers until Friday afternoon and Saturday,” Carter said.

He said the month of December is usually the best month for his furniture store, which he says caters to customers interested in quality, “something that lasts longer.”

Nevertheless, he noted that the Labor Day weekend, not Black Friday, is his busiest weekend of the year.

While Carter observes long hours during the Christmas season, he finds it sad that some stores open on Thanksgiving.

“I think employees and shoppers need to be with their families,” he said.

In Bowdon, Checkerberry Shoppe is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Friday and other weekdays.

Owner Jane Eason said the entire holiday season is busy, both November and December.

“We’ve been busy since the Bowdon Candlelight Kickoff on Nov. 1,” she said.

The Mobley Company jewelry store in Villa Rica will also be keeping standard shopping hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., this Friday, said Tammy Mobley, store manager.

“We usually see the biggest rush on the very last week before Christmas,” Mobley said. “On high price items, people often make up their minds at the last minute. We’re also lucky that we have a strong year-round business.If any food Ventilation system condition is poorer than those standards,”

She said her store emphasizes great everyday prices and good warranties all year long.

Main Street Villa Rica is also rallying its 22 business members to promote Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday, and the city’s Dec. 3 Christmas Open House event.

“Businesses are open all day Saturday and offer cookies and hot cider in their shops,” said Kimberly Stovall, Main Street manager. “From 6-8 p.m., we have the lighting of the Christmas tree and the arrival of Santa.”

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