The term "Black Friday" is so diluted and stretched that it has come to mean any sale at any time in November.
That aside, here are a few tips and updates to consider for the "shopping period previously known as Black Friday," which starts Thanksgiving Day.
1. If "Black Friday" is taken as the wild shopping spree after the Thanksgiving dinner dishes have been cleared, figure it will start at 2 p.m. Thursday at Shopko and run through 9 p.m. Friday night at many stores. The bulk of the big stores will be open by 5 or 6 p.m. Thanksgiving night, but not all. Some are closed on Thanksgiving Day, including holdouts like Scheels, T.J. Maxx, Menards, Mills Fleet Farm and Costco.
2. The Thanksgiving Day Post-Crescent printed edition is, as usual, a hefty load of fliers and ads. Use that, plus individual store websites, to create a plan for in-store and online shopping. "Keep the store ad in hand while you shop and take notes of any special prices or sale signage," said Wisconsin's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection in an advisory. "Make sure you understand return/refund/exchange policies before you buy. Retailers may have stricter policies in place for Black Friday and Cyber Monday purchases."
3. Last year, lines on Thanksgiving night were a little shorter and formed later because some stores offered the very same doorbusters online. That's happening again this year. Walmart, for example, will release its in-store deals at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving night, but releases those same deals online 18 hours earlier, at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time. Lots of shoppers have figured out they don't need to stand in long lines when they can get the same deals online in the warmth of their own homes. There were no tents outside the Grand Chute's Best Buy last year for the first time in many years. Sure, some people may still decide to camp out. Others have realized that there's no need to suffer for savings.
Buy Photo Shoppers formed a line, but no one slept in tents outside of Grand Chute’s Best Buy last year. (Photo: Maureen Wallenfang/Post-Crescent Media)
4. Online shopping is expected to surge, jumping by 9 percent this year, according to consulting firm Deloitte. It pays to check store websites to see what they're offering online now and if they have separate promotions for Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Many do.
5. Teens love the Thanksgiving night store openings and they hang out in packs at the Fox River Mall. The later it gets Thursday night, the younger the crowd will be. Town ordinance 415.15 prohibits minors from loitering after 10 p.m. But since shopping isn't considered loitering, the ordinance isn't enforced. "In the past, it has gone really smoothly," said Captain Mike Velie of the Grand Chute Police. "If they're shopping, providing they're not creating a problem, we don't look at it as an issue at all."
Buy Photo Teens stood in line to get into Pink on Thanksgiving night in the Fox River Mall. (Photo: Maureen Wallenfang/Post-Crescent Media)
6. The wild card is Thursday night's big game. Green Bay Packers take on the Chicago Bears at 7:30 p.m. at Lambeau Field. "Yes, it will have an impact. The Packers always do," said John Burgland, the mall's senior general manager. "Some things we can't compete against."
7. The average shopper spent more than $ 800 on holiday gifts, food and décor last year, according to ShopperTrak. But Black Friday shopping isn't always about gifts for others. With half-off deals in the mall's teen stores and nice prices in appliance stores, some is self-gifting. ShopperTrak estimates you will spend $ 131 on yourself this season.
8. Know your stuff. A great deal on last year's TV isn't necessarily a great deal. Black Friday doorbusters can be great new stuff in limited quantities mixed with rock-bottom prices on older models or lesser brands.
9 . Prep all your tech before you shop. Phone batteries drain quickly in cold weather, so have an auxiliary charger. Download a price comparison app, bar code scanner and a budget tool, like Santa's Bag, on your phone. One caveat from a veteran shopper, Allen Straka: "Some of the stores will change the UPC or model number a little bit for Black Friday. You might not be able to price match because they do specific SKUs for Black Friday items."
10. Shopping in groups is always an asset. One person stands in line while others shop. The tag team approach can help speed through a multi-stop shopping night. Some shoppers still use walkie-talkies to find each other in crowds if they don't want to rely on cellphone reception.
Look for us
Note to Thanksgiving shoppers: We'll have a team covering the initial activity in stores. I'll be there with reporter Alison Dirr and photographer Danny Damiani. Follow our tweets and reports in real time on postcrescent.com starting around 2 p.m. On Twitter at @Wallenfang, @AlisonDirr and @dtdamiani.
Coming Monday
See Monday's Post-Crescent for info on Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday. Readers give their favorite picks among local shops. Merchants reveal a few one-day-only specials.
Maureen Wallenfang: 920-993-7116, or mwallenfang@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @wallenfang
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