Black Friday 2011: Target, Macy's, Kohl's Opening Doors at Midnight
With the economy struggling to get back on track, consumer giants are taking new measures to lure shoppers into their stores on Black Friday.
Target announced that it would be opening its doors at 12 a.m. on the widely popular holiday shopping day. Macy’s and Kohl’s have also announced that they will be opening their doors come midnight on America's favorite turkey day.
Last year, stores opened anywhere from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., but it appears as though the new measures stores are taking are an attempt to stir up Black Friday excitement and capture night owls that would perhaps otherwise avoid the Black Friday mayhem during the day.
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With stores opening at 12 a.m., the question remains, will consumers be flocking to shop in the middle of the night?
Some stores are suggesting that the new measures might lure even more customers into their shops on the savings day.
An executive team member from a Super Target store in Iowa told KIMT.com that the store hopes that people might “stay up a bit later, come in shopping and then go home and go to bed.”
Consumer giant Wal-Mart is taking a different approach by offering an early preview of its Black Friday sales starting this week.
Today, Wal-Mart is offering a “sneak-peak” into the deals that they will be offering while on Saturday, the company will be hosting an early holiday event.
The “Super Saturday” event will begin at 11 a.m. and will go on until midnight. The event will offer some great deals on the popular electronic and home items.
Chief merchandising officer, Duncan Mac Naughton said, “Christmas is in full swing at Wal-Mart, and we’re excited to offer incredible early savings on great gifts as well as fun activities for the whole family.”
He added, “Our everyday low prices, along with these special savings and Christmas programs like layaway and our Christmas Price Guarantee, will help our customers create a wonderful Christmas this year.”
With stores taking such drastic measures to bring in consumers, what Black Friday will be like this year remains to be seen. However, Britt Beemer, a retail analyst of America’s Research Group suggests that this year will be the biggest Black Friday ever yet.
