Cindy Davis carried bags from several stores through the Pinnacle Hills Promenade Monday afternoon.
The Fayetteville woman said she was hoping to cross a lot of names off her Christmas list by the end of the day, but still had Black Friday circled on her calendar.
AT A GLANCE
Savvy Shopping
NerdWallet points to three ways to get the best deals:
• Plan in advance. Black Friday is all about strategy. Before trekking through any crowded stores or stand in any super-long lines, research. Cross-check ads and compare prices.
• Use price matching. According to NerdWallet’s Harris Poll study, 72 percent of consumers have not used a price match in the last six months. Pull up competitors’ websites, and, if you find a better price somewhere else, ask a store associate to match it.
• Be cautious with store credit cards. If you sign up in-store offers that promise a discount on your first purchase, remember these types of credit accounts typically carry high interest rates.
Source: NerdWallet
"It's more of a tradition than anything else," she said of Black Friday shopping.
Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving, is typically when retailers start to turn a profit for the year. Retailers used to open in the early morning hours on Friday, but have moved up opening times through the years. Many stores now open Thursday.
"You've almost had Black Friday month," said Deborah Weinswig, executive director and head of global research and intelligence at Fung Business Intelligence Centre in New York. She said even though retailers are offering sales earlier in the week, enthusiasm for Black Friday is at its highest level in eight years, with 66 percent of consumers saying they are likely to shop Friday, up from 55 percent last year.
The National Retail Federation predicts about 140.1 million people will hit Black Friday sales.
Sarah McKinney, Walmart spokeswoman, said most stores are open on Thanksgiving, and Black Friday sales start at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The retailer is offering a one-hour guarantee for the third year. The promotion means customers in a designated area of the store between 6 and 7 p.m. Thursday are guaranteed to get the advertised item. Store maps showing where items are located are available on Walmart's website and will be available at the stores.
Walmart also will have some Friday-only sales, McKinney said.
"What we heard from customers is they wanted more options to choose from," she said. "Families want to shop at different times, and we saw a lot of families make it a new tradition last year. They can go out and shop after they eat."
Walmart had 22 million customers come through the doors on Thanksgiving Day last year.
Weinswig said she wouldn't be surprised to see stores opening even earlier in coming years. About half of consumers believe stores should not be open all day on Thanksgiving, according to LoyaltyOne, a provider of loyalty marketing services and customer analytics. Its report predicts stores will eventually be open all day on Thanksgiving.
"Savvy retailers put the customer at the center of all their decisions," said Fred Thompson, LoyaltyOne retail practice leader. "Although opening on Thanksgiving Day may lead to incremental sales that day, retailers could risk upsetting their most loyal customers who routinely shop their stores year-round. Retailers should identify who their best customers are and respond with Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales strategies accordingly."
Cabela's is one national retailer remaining closed on Thanksgiving Day. Nathan Borowski, company spokesman, said it is a practice that goes back to the retailer's founding.
"We believe Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family," he said.
Stores open at 5 a.m. Friday, and Borowski said he expects large crowds. The retailer is giving the first 600 customers in line at every store a free gift, ranging from a Browning A-Bolt 3 Rifle to gift cards. He said men are a large portion of Cabela's customer base.
"They are the kind of people who get up early anyway," Borowski said.
DealNews, an online shopping site, reports that 46 percent of male Black Friday shoppers are looking for items for themselves and 62 percent plan on spending $500 or more.
Shane Kitzman, Best Buy spokesman, said the electronics retailer is splitting its Black Friday sales between two days. Stores open at 5 p.m. Thursday and close at 1 a.m. Friday before opening again at 8 a.m.
"We think 5 p.m. is nice timing. It gives customers and shoppers a chance to spend the holiday with family and friends before heading to the stores," he said.
Best Buy stores remained open through the night last year, and Kitzman said foot traffic slowed down after the initial burst.
"Closing gives our employees a chance to work more traditional shifts," he said.
Mickey Curtright of Bethel Heights was looking at iPads with her husband, Richard, Monday at the Rogers Best Buy store. She shopped on Black Friday once several years ago and won't do it again.
"It was crazy. The parking was horrible, and people were rude," she said.
Richard Curtright said the iPad would be his Christmas present.
"We try to shop early, but this year they pushed Black Friday back even more," Richard Curtright said.
Mickey Curtright said some of the larger electronic gifts they were looking at, including the iPad, don't go on sale anyway.
NerdWallet, a research and analysis firm, warns that just because a retailer advertises a lot of Black Friday sales does not mean items are priced at their lowest point. The firm reports nearly 93 percent of retailers are repeating at least some Black Friday products and prices from last year or even earlier this year.
One example listed in the study was a Craftsman floor jack with a Black Friday advertised price of $49.99, boosting its "lowest price ever." The same jack was on sale for $49.99 Nov. 9-15.
"When you walk into a store on Black Friday, you can't have the mindset that everything you see will be a good deal," Matthew Ong, senior retail analyst at NerdWallet, stated in the report. "Sure, there are a handful of impressive Black Friday deals this year, but many big-name retailers are essentially serving up the same products at the same prices year after year. That's not exciting for consumers."
NW News on 11/25/2014