Black Friday — or should we call it Black Thursday?
Many big box stores and local malls plan on opening doors even earlier than last year, making some people plan their Thanksgiving around shopping.
It’s become a competition.
What stores can open the earliest and who can get into the consumer’s pocket first.
Old Navy will open at 9 AM, Walmart’s first deal starts at 6 PM, and the Rockvale Outlets in Lancaster open 2 hours later.
And that’s all on Thanksgiving Day, giving a whole new meaning to Black Friday.
Hour-long lines in the frigid cold wrapped around the building.
It’s the same story every year but this year some people will have to forego their traditional Thanksgiving meal in order to get the best deal in town.
“I think it’s early but we always call it first to set first to sell, so we’re trying to get all those sales as early as possible,” says Steve Myers, Store Manager of the Mechanicsburg Walmart.
“I think it’s early but we always call it first to set first to sell, so we’re trying to get all those sales as early as possible,” says Steve Myers, Store Manager of the Mechanicsburg Walmart.
Myers will open his Mechanicsburg Walmart to Black Friday shoppers on Thanksgiving at 6 PM.
But that doesn’t seem early, considering when he put out the Christmas decorations.
“At the end of September we still had Halloween but we were changing right over to Christmas,” says Myers.
“At the end of September we still had Halloween but we were changing right over to Christmas,” says Myers.
You read correctly.. one holiday after another — barely anytime to catch his breath.
But Myers says, Walmart isn’t on the forefront of planning Black Friday hours.
“We kind of wait until everybody comes out with there times and then we go with that so we try to be ahead of that game but I can foresee us starting on a Wednesday sometime down the future,” says Myers
That possibility doesn’t bother the people we spoke with.
Miso Mijocevic says he plans his Thanksgiving around the stores.
“After dinner and stuff we gather up a couple friends and go shopping together,” says Miso Mijocevic of Camp Hill.
Dr. David Ober with the Rockvale Outlets says even though the stores will be open — his employees won’t be missing out.
“Some of them are getting double time, some of them are getting triple time. We don’t hear of anybody complaining about it,” says Dr. David Ober, General Partner of the Rockvale Outlets.
And, the stores definitely aren’t complaining.
Extra hours increases the opportunity for a larger profit and it’s more convenience for people who want to make shopping a family event.
“I just think it’s part of where America’s going we’re consumers and we’re hungry for the newest deal. If we can get to it 24 hours sooner, then even better,” says Dr. Ober.
“I just think it’s part of where America’s going we’re consumers and we’re hungry for the newest deal. If we can get to it 24 hours sooner, then even better,” says Dr. Ober.
It’s been reported that stores won’t be making as much money this year because spending is down.
But when FOX43 asked Steve Myers how much money he’s expecting this year, he told us the Mechanicsburg Walmart averages about 1 million dollars during Black Friday, and he wasn’t too upset about it.