Several stores in the local area have decided to start their “Black Friday” sales a little early, by opening on Thanksgiving this year.
Wal-Mart stores will be open at 8:00 p.m., Target Corp. will be open at 9:00 p.m. Sears and Toys-R-Us will also open at 8:00 pm tonight.
There are really two dynamics at work here. First, stores want to gain a competitive advantage on an important day for sales. At least one source estimates that stores which choose not to open on Thanksgiving would see sales decline by around 20-25% over stores that do open on Thanksgiving.
Another reason is the obvious security implications of having a midnight “rush” of sleep deprived shoppers hitting the stores at a very late hour. In the past few years, reports of assaults, and stampedes have trickled in from around the country, sometimes even resulting in fatalities.
By opening the stores a few hours early, these outlets could potentially reduce the adverse effects of these manic crowds.
But where does this all end?
At least one Catholic Bishop has spoken out against the continuing trend of opening stores earlier and earlier. This Bishop argues that the practice is depriving families of much needed time together by forcing some to work on this cherished Holiday, while luring everyone else to go off shopping.
In addition, some Walmart workers are fed up with having to work on yet another Holiday and are planning to walk out from a few locations in California.
Personally, I’m of the opinion that the commercialized madness really needs to stop. After-all, are consumers really saving anything from all of these “sales?”
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