Is it just me or are they opening earlier and earlier?

[draggar]

I just saw an ad on TV for Kohls - they're opening up at 4AM on Black Friday.

FOUR IN THE FREAKING MORNING???

I don't remember anyone opening that early last year - I do remember hearing 5am but not 4am.

Honestly, I think within 10 years we're going to start seeing large chain stores open up on Thanksgiving night (and I don't mean midnight - 11pm or earlier).

[Green_Fairy]

last year the mall i worked in opened at midnight. this year i'm seeing ads for "pajama sales" where the first 20 or whatever women that show up at midnight in their pjs get a free something or other. i feel sorry for the people that work there.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I think JC Penney may be opening at 4 am as well. At least I thought that was what their TV commercial said.

[draftermatt]

Kohl's around here have opened at 4 for years now. Their thought is "Kohls at 4, Wal-Mart at 5, mall at 6" since that's how things open around here.

[KiaKat]

I thought I remembered hearing something about local Wally Worlds opening the evening before, so as to avoid the crush of last year. Don't know if that's true, though.

[jedimaster91]

I saw an ad last night that some store (I think it's Old Navy, but I wouldn't swear to it) was opening at 3am.

[AdminAssistant]

The Old Navy here is open on Thanksgiving Day.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

The swamp is open on Thanksgiving Day until 8 pm.

If we'd open up again at 11 as Draggar suggested, that would leave us 3 hours to:

• put up the doorbuster ad, which I do myself and is ginormous. It takes me most of the night to do this myself.
• set up shopping carts and pylons for our line queue
• get stuff staged in the backroom, and
• build any displays that got forgotten about until the last minute.

This takes considerably more than 3 hours to accomplish.

If we'd ever open that late, it would be a complete clusterfuck unless corporate puts on enough people. But if the competition dictates it, we're just going to have to do it.

[draggar]

The swamp is open on Thanksgiving Day until 8 pm.

If we'd open up again at 11 as Draggar suggested, that would leave us 3 hours to:

• put up the doorbuster ad, which I do myself and is ginormous. It takes me most of the night to do this myself.
• set up shopping carts and pylons for our line queue
• get stuff staged in the backroom, and
• build any displays that got forgotten about until the last minute.

This takes considerably more than 3 hours to accomplish.

If we'd ever open that late, it would be a complete clusterfuck unless corporate puts on enough people. But if the competition dictates it, we're just going to have to do it.

But corporate would still expect you to get it all done in that time!

[BookstoreEscapee]

I thought I remembered hearing something about local Wally Worlds opening the evening before, so as to avoid the crush of last year. Don't know if that's true, though.

Someone at work mentioned that. They said they would be open all night but the sale prices start at 5am or something like that. So you could shop and hang out in the store all night and pay right at 5.

B&N is still closed Thanksgiving and Christmas...not that it affects me anymore.

[Cat]

My last Black Friday, my mall had an optional "Open at Midnight." My store did not participate, and so we opened at 5 or 6.....that was actually a "Red Friday," we lost $$ because of all the midnight shoppers.

I laughed at this, since I knew I was already quitting. I think the following year all stores opened at midnight

[Amina516]

There are some outlets around here that open at midnight as well. The kohls and sears that are @ the mall open @ 4am.

3am for Old Navy is INSANE!!!

I feel bad for all the workers... Hang in there guys!

[Android Kaeli]

I know that Random Craft Store opens at 5 am on Friday and has since I've worked there, hell I've worked 4 am to 11 am shifts there (gets me in and out in the morning).

Can't IMAGINE going shopping at 3 am, there's nothing on this planet that I need at that hour.

[Rine]

Sears is opening at 4 AM.

[JustaCashier]

I've heard the same thing as Bookstore Escapee, regarding Walmart.

I have mixed feelings on it. On one hand, I think it will help avoid the crush that caused the employee's death last year. On the other hand, it sucks for the employees that would have otherwise not had to work those hours if the store was closed. Plus, I can just see it starting at about 4:30 or so;"C'mon! Give me the sale prices! It's almost 5:00!"

Mike