The Trends of Black Friday
By tradition Thanksgiving Day has always been considered a day for enjoying friends and family, counting your blessings, and reading the newspapers to find the best deal is al of the retail stores on what has become to be known as Black Friday which is the day after Thanksgiving.
Basically the plan is to eat all that you can hold on Thanksgiving Day and plan your attack on the retail stores where you will find all of the best deals. However, numerous retail stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day to get the jump on the numerous shoppers on Black Friday. There are some retail stores who say that they provide this as an option for customers who want to beat the crowds.
The experts in retail sales report that this is nothing more than an attempt for retail stores to increase their sales in slow economic times to increase their profits. Last December and November the retail sales increase 2.3 percent which was somewhat less than the ten average increase of 2.5 percent according to a trade group for retail stores known as the National Retail Federation. The president of a retailing consulting group known as Customer Growth Partners reports that retail stores in these slow economic times will take any advantage that they can get.
Joining the long tradition of Sears Holdings Corporation’s Kmart division Sears is opening on Thursday, from seven AM until twelve PM. These days, Kmart is permitting their customers to purchase products on the Internet and pick up those products at retail stores on Thanksgiving Day. Kmart’s has extended their hours, from six AM until nine PM. Both stores plan to offer discount deals on Black Friday and on Thanksgiving Day.
In order to provide its customer an extra day to shop, Sears has decided to open on Thanksgiving Day. The experts on Wall Street considerer this move rather desperate by struggling retail stores who are facing reduced sales and profits. Sears recently reported its looses in the third quarter loss three times that of the same period a year ago. Sears retail sales were at eight percent less and Kmart’s sales were less than one percent.
A Sear’s spokesperson recently reported that Kmart has been open on Thanksgiving Day for 19 years and the decision to remain open on Thanksgiving Day was to provide the customer with an extra day to shop and based on their customers’ responses. Sears usually listens to their customers and they wanted to make their shopping an easier experience. By opening on Thanksgiving Day the customers pick up last minute products that they require for Thanksgiving Day or simply begin their shopping early.
A spokesperson for Gap Inc. reported that their retail stores opened approximately ? of their Old Navy retail stores on Thanksgiving Day. The response was so overwhelming that they decided to open approximately 90 percent of them in the future. There is also some Banana Republic and Gap retail stores will be open on Thanksgiving Day. The Old Navy retail stores that are open from nine AM to eight PM. However, these hours are different ate different locations. A Gap spokesperson reported that the employees who volunteer to work on Thanksgiving Day also receive food.
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