Learn more about Small Business Saturday. Retailers will be fighting harder than ever for consumer dollars this Thanksgiving weekend, opening stores earlier and longer, and dropping prices on merchandise to record lows.
And, at least by early indications, shoppers are responding.
As store employees prepared Wednesday for the four-day weekend, shoppers were already scoping out deals, and some had started to wait in line.
Sales so far this month indicate that consumers are ready to spend big this weekend, store managers said. And crowds are only likely to swell as retailers open on Thanksgiving Day and early Friday, some of them rolling out the lowest prices ever on high-demand electronics and gifts.
“If the traffic today is any indication, it’s going to be a huge weekend,” said Mike Cook, manager of the Sears department store at Woodland Hills Mall.
Cook said he expects big sales in apparel in addition to the typically strong categories such as electronics, tools and appliances.
The National Retail Federation is estimating that more people will brave the malls and stores this Black Friday weekend as overall holiday spending increases a modest 2.8 percent from last year to $465 billion.
For retailers, the five weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas is where a significant portion of annual sales are made, and failure to capitalize can doom a business.
Many retailers are responding with Thanksgiving Day shopping hours, including those such as K-mart that have been doing it for years. But Toys R Us has moved up its opening time by an hour to 9 p.m., and Walmart opens an hour later. Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s and others will open at midnight.
“Some retailers tried out Thanksgiving Day last year and didn’t like it, and others are moving up to midnight,” said Michael Niemira, an economist with the International Council of Shopping Centers. “It seems that a lot have settled on midnight as a good starting time.”
Retailers shooting for early risers on Friday are opening their doors as early as 3 a.m., and most national chains will be selling merchandise by 6 a.m.
Sears is moving to a 4 a.m. opening after testing Thanksgiving Day sales last year.
Best Buy will open its metro Tulsa stores at midnight, and shoppers are expected to be lined up outside looking for deals on televisions, tablet computers, laptops and other electronics.
“The midnight opening is different from what Best Buy has done in the past,” said T.J. Suarez, a manager at the company’s Owasso store. “I do think we’ll see more people weekend than ever before.”
Suarez expects video games to be popular this year, with a host of high-profile titles released for Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
But the biggest deals will require patience in lines.
“People will wait for a good deal,” Suarez said.
Early hours, deals and doorbusters
Are you headed out to shop on Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday? Follow Tulsa World retail reporter Kyle Arnold as he scouts stores and talks with shoppers on Twitter@kylelarnold.
Thanksgiving Day
- K-mart, $200 for 32″ TV, $80 netbook
- Atwoods, 25 percent off clothes and shoes
- Walgreens, $20 digital music player
- Michael’s, 30 percent off purchase with coupon
- Toys R Us, $200 Power Wheels vehicles
- Walmart, $99 Power Wheels vehicles
- Best Buy, $40 Blu-ray player, $200 42″ Sharp TV
- GameStop, $150 Xbox 360
- Kohl’s, 500 doorbusters, 50 percent off toys
- Macy’s, $10 off $25 purchase
- Old Navy, $19 kids, $29 adult pea coats
- Target, 46″ TV for $298, $157 netbook
- Belk, 20 percent off purchase
- J.C. Penney, $30 boots, $4 Barbies
- Sears, $469 front-loading washer and dryer set
- Academy Sports and Outdoor, $80 swing set, $60 GPS
- Bed Bath and Beyond, 20 percent off purchase
- Burlington Coat Factory, $10 jackets, $10 boots
- Dick’s Sporting Goods, $15 off $60 shoe purchase
- Gordmans, 25 percent off for first 300 customers
- Home Depot, $99 Dewalt 18-volt drill
- Lowe’s, $69 table saw
- Sam’s Club, $498 51″ TV, $279 Dyson vacuum
- Shoe Carnival, $25 boots
- Sports Authority, 50 percent off all balls
- RadioShack, $100 tablet computer
- Bass Pro Shops, $10 jeans, $10 fleece, $50 Carhartt jacket
- JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores, flannel $1.49 a yard
- Northern Tool and Equipment, $130 Husqvarna chainsaw
- Pep Boys, $7 for five quarts of motor oil
- Stage, $30 for 7″ digital photo frame
- Stein Mart, $10 off $30 purchase with coupon
- Ulta, $10 curling iron, flat iron or hair dryer
- Big Lots, $189 recliner, $20 digital music player
- Lifeway Christian Store, $4 kids DVDs, $5 books
- Mardel, $25 Little People Nativity set
- Office Depot, $300 laptop
- Guitar Center, 15 percent off single item
- Furniture Row: $897 three-piece leather furniture set
Other deals
- Camera Galaxy, $480 Canon Rebel T3 camera
- Reeds Jewelers, $99 1/5 carat diamond earrings
- Rack Room Shoes, 50 to 60 percent off selected shoes and boots
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