As festivities are upon us in these last months of the year, to many it means time for family, friends, celebrations and shopping. Lots of shopping.
One of the most anticipated times of the year for shoppers is Black Friday, when the best deals are available.
As national chains are neck-in-neck in competitive sales, some stores are deciding to stay open for much longer on Thanksgiving day.
This can be a prediction to how malls will be flooded with complete madness in the upcoming days.
In 2012, Black Friday spending hit a new record of $59.1 billion which went up from $52.4 billion the previous year.
According to the National Retail Federation, shoppers spent an average of $423 over the four-day weekend, an overall 13% increase compared to the previous year.
For online shopping, it increased 21% on Black Friday from 2011 according to IBM Benchmark.
With numbers predicted to head up in sales it can give all a good guess of what to expect on the day of Black Friday or Thanksgiving for that matter.
Kohl’s Department stores are joining their competitors and will open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving. They will also remain open for the all-day Black Friday. Macy’s stated that their doors will also open at 8 p.m.; JC Penney will also join the trend.
The chain that has caused a huge uproar is Kmart. They made the announcement that they would open their doors by 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving and stay open for a full 41 hours up until 11 p.m. on Black Friday.
Kmart has received criticism from many people on its Facebook page. Some criticized the chain for making employees work through a day of festivities and adding they should not go to work. They also tell others to not shop there.
Kmart has actually opened at 6 a.m. in the previous year, but they closed the stores for a couple of hours to allow employees and customers to spend time with their loved ones.
They responded to the criticisms on their Facebook page by stating, “we understand many associates want to spend time with their families during the holiday.
With this in mind Kmart stores do their very best to staff with seasonal associates and those who are needed to work holidays.”
While most comments were bashing the chain’s decision, some people responded by saying that employees may be happy with overtime, some say they had no opinion on it or simply stating that people can choose themselves whether or not they want to work those hours.
In the end, customers will definitely be at doors before they open with card or cash within reaching distance.
For all the Black Friday shoppers, new or old, anticipating what deals may be in store, a look out on the internet is definitely a must do for the time being.
