By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO
AP Retail Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Put down that turkey leg. It's time to shop. No, really.
Stores typically open in the wee
hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black
Friday, named for the period when stores traditionally turn a profit for
the year. But Black Friday openings have crept earlier and earlier over
the past few years. Now, stores from Wal-Mart to Toys R Us are opening
their doors on Thanksgiving evening, hoping Americans will be willing to
shop soon after they finish their pumpkin pie.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will have
early bird shopping specials at 8 p.m., two hours earlier than a year
ago. Target Corp. is opening its doors at 9 p.m. on the holiday, three
hours earlier than last year. Sears, which didn't open on Thanksgiving
last year, is opening during from 8 p.m. and will stay open until 10
p.m. on Black Friday. And Toys R Us will be opening at 8 p.m., an hour
earlier than last year.
It's an effort by stores to make
shopping more convenient for Americans, who still face economic
uncertainty. Many shoppers are worried about high unemployment and a
package of tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff"
that will take effect in January unless Congress passes a budget deal by
then. At the same time, Americans have grown more comfortable shopping
on websites such as Amazon.com, where they can get cheaper prices and
buy from the comfort of their home or office cubicle.
That has put pressure on
brick-and-mortar stores, who can make up to 40 percent of their annual
revenue during the two-month holiday shopping season, to compete. That's
becoming more difficult: the National Retail Federation, an industry
trade group, estimates that overall sales in November and December will
rise 4.1 percent this year to $586.1 billion, or about flat with last
year's growth. But the online part of that is expected to rise 15
percent to $68.4 billion, according to Forrester Research.
As a result, brick-and-mortar
retailers are trying everything they can to lure consumers into stores
by making shopping as easy as possible. In addition to expanding their
hours into Thanksgiving, many are offering free layaways and shipping,
matching the cheaper prices of online rivals and updating their mobile
shopping apps with more information.
"Every retailer wants to beat
everyone else," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research
Group, a research firm based in Charleston, S.C. "Shoppers love it."
Retailers are hoping that the
Thanksgiving openings will draw shoppers who prefer to head to stores
after their turkey dinner rather than braving the crowds early the next
morning. Overall, about 17 percent of shoppers plan to take advantage of
Thanksgiving hours, according to the International Council of Shopping
Centers-Goldman Sachs survey of 1,000 consumers conducted from Nov. 15
to Nov. 18. Last year, that figure was 16 percent. For Black Friday,
traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year, 33 percent intend to
shop that day, slightly down from 34 percent in 2011.
But not everyone likes the idea
of Turkey Day shopping. Some retailers that are opening on Thanksgiving
face criticism from workers who complain that the holiday should be a
time for everyone to spend with their family.
A New York-based union-backed
group of retail workers called Retail Action Project is planning
protests in the Manhattan borough of New York City on Thanksgiving in
front of several stores, including AnnTaylor, Forever 21 and others that
are opening at midnight on Black Friday and earlier.
"It shows that the companies are
not valuing their workers. They're looking to their workers to squeeze
out more profits," said Carrie Gleason, director of Retail Action
Project.
Wal-Mart, the world's largest
retailer, has been one of the biggest targets of protests against
holiday hours. The issue is part of a broader campaign against the
company's treatment of workers that's being waged by a union-backed
group called OUR Walmart, which includes former and current workers.
It's staging demonstrations and walkouts at hundreds of stores on Black
Friday.
Mary Pat Tifft, a Wal-Mart
employee in Kenosha, Wis., who is a member of OUR Walmart, started an
online petition on signon.org that has about 34,000 signatures.
"This Thanksgiving, while
millions of families plan to spend quality time with their loved ones,
Wal-Mart associates have been told we will be stocking shelves and
preparing sales starting at 8 p.m.," she wrote on the site.
But retailers say they are
giving shoppers what they want. Dave Tovar, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said
that the discounter learned from shoppers that they want to start
shopping right after Thanksgiving dinner. Then, they want to have time
to go to bed before they wake up to head back out to the stores.
Still, Tovar said that Wal-Mart
works to accommodate its workers' requests for different working hours.
"We spent a lot of time talking to them, trying to figure out when would
be the best time for our events," he said.
Kathee Tesija, Target's
executive vice president of merchandising, said Target's 9 p.m. opening
struck "a perfect balance" for its customers. When asked whether it's
faced any criticism from Target employees, she noted that the chain also
works with workers to accommodate their needs. But, ultimately the
company serves the customer.
"We thought long and hard about
when the right opening time would be," she said, adding that Target
"wants to make sure we are competitive."
Black Friday Store Hours:
Toys R us: Nov. 22 at 8 p.m.
Walmart: Nov. 22 at 8 p.m.
Kohls: Nov. 23 at 12 a.m.
Macy's: Nov. 23 at 12 a.m.
Michaels: Nov. 22 at 4 p.m.
Target: Nov. 22 at 9 p.m.
Tanger Outlets: Nov. 22 at 10 p.m.
Westcor malls: Nov. 23 at 12 a.m.
Best Buy: Nov. 23 at 12 a.m.
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2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
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