[h=4]By JOYCE SMITH[/h][h=4]The Kansas City Star[/h]
By JOYCE SMITH The Kansas City Star
Updated: 2012-11-23T06:00:44Z
J Pat Carter
Dora Hurtado waited in line Thursday at a Pembroke Pines, Fla., Toys-R-Us store. While stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as 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.
When the Sears at Metcalf South Shopping Center in Overland Park opened at 8 o’clock Thursday night, the line stretched the length of the center.
“Are you ready to spend some money?” a store employee shouted before opening the doors. “Nice and slow. The hard part is done.” Thanksgiving is no longer just about feast, family, and football. Now it also is about holiday shopping.Stores have traditionally opened on the morning the day after Thanksgiving. It’s dubbed Black Friday because that’s when stores turn a profit for the year. But Black Friday openings have crept earlier over the past few years.Now, stores from Target 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. Retailers were hoping that the Thanksgiving openings would draw shoppers who didn’t want to brave the crowds early Friday morning. Overall, about 17 percent of shoppers planned to take advantage of Thanksgiving hours, according to an International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs survey of 1,000 consumers. At the Metcalf South Sears, Toni Arellanes of Overland Park arrived just as the doors were opening and waited nearly 25 minutes for the crowd to file in. “Everyone else will be busting down the electronics. We just want to get her a $12.99 sweater,” Arellanes said of her 15-year-old daughter Tristina. Tony Gonzalez of Kansas City, Kan., spent about three hours in the Sears line, scoring a $44.99 toaster for $24.99. He also was shopping with family — just not together. He had dropped off his daughter to stand in line at Leawood’s Dick’s Sporting Goods, and his wife at a specialty store. At Target in Ward Parkway Center, the lines were also long, stretching around the building. Christian Wheeler of Kansas City was shopping with her family. “It’s a choice. And it beats getting up early in the cold and dealing with the crowds,” she said. The Thanksgiving hours were also an effort by stores to make shopping more convenient for Americans still facing 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 buy from the comfort of their home or office cubicle. That has put pressure on brick-and-mortar stores, which can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue during the two-month holiday shopping season, to compete.While shoppers took advantage of the Thanksgiving deals, some workers protested the Turkey Day hours. A New York-based union-backed group of retail workers called Retail Action Project planned protests in New York City on Thanksgiving in front of several stores, including Ann Taylor, Forever 21 and others that opened 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report. To reach Joyce Smith, call 816-234-4692 or send email to [email protected].
Copyright 2012 The Kansas City Star. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
By JOYCE SMITH The Kansas City Star
Updated: 2012-11-23T06:00:44Z
J Pat Carter
Dora Hurtado waited in line Thursday at a Pembroke Pines, Fla., Toys-R-Us store. While stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as 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.
When the Sears at Metcalf South Shopping Center in Overland Park opened at 8 o’clock Thursday night, the line stretched the length of the center.
“Are you ready to spend some money?” a store employee shouted before opening the doors. “Nice and slow. The hard part is done.” Thanksgiving is no longer just about feast, family, and football. Now it also is about holiday shopping.Stores have traditionally opened on the morning the day after Thanksgiving. It’s dubbed Black Friday because that’s when stores turn a profit for the year. But Black Friday openings have crept earlier over the past few years.Now, stores from Target 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. Retailers were hoping that the Thanksgiving openings would draw shoppers who didn’t want to brave the crowds early Friday morning. Overall, about 17 percent of shoppers planned to take advantage of Thanksgiving hours, according to an International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs survey of 1,000 consumers. At the Metcalf South Sears, Toni Arellanes of Overland Park arrived just as the doors were opening and waited nearly 25 minutes for the crowd to file in. “Everyone else will be busting down the electronics. We just want to get her a $12.99 sweater,” Arellanes said of her 15-year-old daughter Tristina. Tony Gonzalez of Kansas City, Kan., spent about three hours in the Sears line, scoring a $44.99 toaster for $24.99. He also was shopping with family — just not together. He had dropped off his daughter to stand in line at Leawood’s Dick’s Sporting Goods, and his wife at a specialty store. At Target in Ward Parkway Center, the lines were also long, stretching around the building. Christian Wheeler of Kansas City was shopping with her family. “It’s a choice. And it beats getting up early in the cold and dealing with the crowds,” she said. The Thanksgiving hours were also an effort by stores to make shopping more convenient for Americans still facing 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 buy from the comfort of their home or office cubicle. That has put pressure on brick-and-mortar stores, which can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue during the two-month holiday shopping season, to compete.While shoppers took advantage of the Thanksgiving deals, some workers protested the Turkey Day hours. A New York-based union-backed group of retail workers called Retail Action Project planned protests in New York City on Thanksgiving in front of several stores, including Ann Taylor, Forever 21 and others that opened 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report. To reach Joyce Smith, call 816-234-4692 or send email to [email protected].
Copyright 2012 The Kansas City Star. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.