Black Friday Starting On Thanksgiving At Some Stores

The annual retail sales event called Black Friday will start earlier than ever this year, as some stores will open their doors and start their Black Friday bargains on Thanksgiving Day. Retailers usually open their doors at about 4:00 AM the day after Thanksgiving Day, but retailers like Kohl’s, Target, Best Buy and Macy’s have all indicated that they will open their doors at midnight this year. Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Detroit Michigan, meanwhile, is one of a growing number of shopping malls and stores that have said they will open their doors late Thanksgiving evening.

Analysts familiar with the retail business say the early launch of Black Friday sales is a result of a widespread fear about sales during the holiday season, considered the most important part of the year for retailers. Retailers who do open early are expected to benefit from the move by garnering a bigger share of holiday sales at a time when consumers are watching what they spend. According to the National Retail Federation, retail sales during the holiday shopping season are expected to be about 2.8 percent from last year’s totals. That level of growth is much smaller than the 5.2 percent increase from sales between 2009 and 2010.

Some analysts think that the early openings for Black Friday sales may even increase the number of Americans shopping on Black Friday, drawing in consumers who would not be willing to get up early in the morning to shop, but would gladly stay up late on a holiday to take advantage of the year’s steepest discounts.