Related News
Christmas shopping creeps into Thanksgiving Day
Source: Agencies |
November 23, 2012, Friday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
FORGET the traditional Thanksgiving holiday dinner. Many in the US chose to get an even earlier jump on Christmas shopping, even if that meant sleeping on the sidewalk outside stores.
The early morning shopping chaos that has become a day-after-Thanksgiving tradition crept back this year to eat into Thanksgiving Day itself. What was known as Black Friday - the day when stores traditionally turn a profit for the year - started yesterday evening in many places.
When Macy's opened its doors in New York City at midnight, 11,000 shoppers showed up. Target Corp. opened its doors at 9 pm yesterday, three hours earlier than last year. Sears, which didn't open on Thanksgiving last year, opened at 8 pm.
About 17 percent of shoppers said earlier this month that they planned to shop at stores that opened on Thanksgiving, according to an International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs survey of 1,000 consumers.
Overall, it's estimated that sales on Black Friday will be up 3.8 percent to US$11.4 billion this year.
Michael Prothero, 19, and Kenny Fullenlove, 20, missed Thanksgiving dinner altogether. They started camping out on Monday night outside a Best Buy store in Ohio, which was scheduled to open at midnight.
"Better safe than sorry," Prothero said.
Americans have grown more comfortable shopping online, which has put pressure on stores, which 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 US$586.1 billion, or about flat with last year's growth. But the online part of that is expected to rise 15 percent to US$68.4 billion, according to Forrester Research.
"Every retailer wants to beat everyone else," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, a research firm. "Shoppers love it."
Indeed, there were 11 shoppers in a four-tent encampment outside one Best Buy store in Michigan. A $179 Toshiba LCD television was worth missing Thanksgiving dinner at home.
"We'll miss the actual being there with family, but we'll have the rest of the weekend for that," said Jackie Berg, 26, who arrived Wednesday afternoon.
Some workers were expected to protest the Thanksgiving hours. A New York City-based, union-backed group of retail workers called Retail Action Project planned protests in front of several stores, including AnnTaylor, Forever 21 and others that were 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. Many of the company's stores are open 24 hours, but the company was offering early bird specials that once were reserved for Black Friday at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving instead.
A union-backed group called OUR Walmart, which includes former and current workers, was staging demonstrations and walkouts at hundreds of stores on Black Friday.
But retailers said they are giving shoppers what they want. Dave Tovar, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said the discounter learned from shoppers that they want to start shopping right after Thanksgiving dinner. Then they want time to sleep before they wake up and head back to the stores.
Kathee Tesija, Target's executive vice president of merchandising, said Target's 9 p.m. opening struck "a perfect balance" for its customers.
"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."
The early morning shopping chaos that has become a day-after-Thanksgiving tradition crept back this year to eat into Thanksgiving Day itself. What was known as Black Friday - the day when stores traditionally turn a profit for the year - started yesterday evening in many places.
When Macy's opened its doors in New York City at midnight, 11,000 shoppers showed up. Target Corp. opened its doors at 9 pm yesterday, three hours earlier than last year. Sears, which didn't open on Thanksgiving last year, opened at 8 pm.
About 17 percent of shoppers said earlier this month that they planned to shop at stores that opened on Thanksgiving, according to an International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs survey of 1,000 consumers.
Overall, it's estimated that sales on Black Friday will be up 3.8 percent to US$11.4 billion this year.
Michael Prothero, 19, and Kenny Fullenlove, 20, missed Thanksgiving dinner altogether. They started camping out on Monday night outside a Best Buy store in Ohio, which was scheduled to open at midnight.
"Better safe than sorry," Prothero said.
Americans have grown more comfortable shopping online, which has put pressure on stores, which 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 US$586.1 billion, or about flat with last year's growth. But the online part of that is expected to rise 15 percent to US$68.4 billion, according to Forrester Research.
"Every retailer wants to beat everyone else," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, a research firm. "Shoppers love it."
Indeed, there were 11 shoppers in a four-tent encampment outside one Best Buy store in Michigan. A $179 Toshiba LCD television was worth missing Thanksgiving dinner at home.
"We'll miss the actual being there with family, but we'll have the rest of the weekend for that," said Jackie Berg, 26, who arrived Wednesday afternoon.
Some workers were expected to protest the Thanksgiving hours. A New York City-based, union-backed group of retail workers called Retail Action Project planned protests in front of several stores, including AnnTaylor, Forever 21 and others that were 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. Many of the company's stores are open 24 hours, but the company was offering early bird specials that once were reserved for Black Friday at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving instead.
A union-backed group called OUR Walmart, which includes former and current workers, was staging demonstrations and walkouts at hundreds of stores on Black Friday.
But retailers said they are giving shoppers what they want. Dave Tovar, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said the discounter learned from shoppers that they want to start shopping right after Thanksgiving dinner. Then they want time to sleep before they wake up and head back to the stores.
Kathee Tesija, Target's executive vice president of merchandising, said Target's 9 p.m. opening struck "a perfect balance" for its customers.
"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."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
