[audio:http://www.wdde.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/TheGreen_11212014_HolidayShopping1.mp3|titles= Delaware Public Media's Tom Byrne and contributor Eileen Dallabrida discuss holiday shopping in the First State.]
As more retailers open on Thanksgiving Day, merchants are hoping more shoppers join the ranks of those gobbling down their turkey dinner then dashing to the store.
Tanger Outlets in Rehoboth Beach will be open earlier than ever on Thanksgiving Day, opening their doors from 6 pm –2 am. Stores will reopen at 6 am with a round of Black Friday door busters.
“We are offering our shoppers options so that family and friends can choose to come together Thanksgiving evening after they have enjoyed their celebrations,” Steven B. Tanger, CEO, said in a statement. “Our customers are increasingly requesting to shop early for the best deals and our retail partners are eager to accommodate this new family tradition.”
A week and a half before the holiday, more than half the stores at Christiana Mall gave a thumbs up to Thanksgiving hours, following the lead of anchor stores Macy’s, JCPenney and Target. Nordstrom will remain closed.
“Tenants are saying yes to Thanksgiving shopping based on the success of last year,” says Steven Chambliss, mall general manager.
In 2013, stores inside the shopping center opened at 8 p.m. This year, they will start doing business at 6 p.m. Concord Mall and Dover Mall also will open two hours earlier.
At Christiana Mall, JCPenney will be the early bird on Turkey Day, opening at 5 p.m. Penney’s spokesman Joey Thomas says shoppers can anticipate drawings and swag bags of goodies. Employees can expect round-the-clock refreshments.
Macy’s and Target will both open at 6 p.m. and are incentivizing seasonal help to volunteer for work on Thanksgiving by offering holiday pay.
Holiday forecasts
Chambliss senses that shoppers are feeling more confident than they have in nearly a decade of cheerless economic news. He expects that lower gasoline prices also will fuel holiday spending.
That’s in keeping with the majority of forecasts, although projections of just how much cash registers will jingle varies widely.
Here are glimpses into the future from various crystal balls:
- The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales to rise a robust 4.1 percent to $617 billion, based on improved numbers in jobs and home sales. The Washington, D.C.-based trade group predicts sales of gift cards to soar with the average shopper spending $172.74 on plastic.
- Nielsen’s holiday forecast is for a booming 10-percent increase in sales, led by minority consumers. The pollster expects African American shoppers to spend 17 percent more, while Asian and Hispanic consumers will spend 13 percent more. Nielsen reports African Americans will make more purchases on electronics, while Hispanics will buy more gift cards and Asians will increase expenditures for food.
- Deloitte’s research indicates sales will climb 4-4.5 percent, buoyed by low debt and a strong stock market.
- The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) forecasts a 4-percent increase in sales, reflecting a decrease in the jobless rate.
- PwC US, a PricewaterhouseCoopers group, predicts that stagnant wages will be reflected in more belt tightening, with consumers spending an average of $684 per household, down from $735 in 2013.
Informed consumers
A few weeks before Thanksgiving, Linda King of Manassas, Va., makes a pilgrimage with four longtime friends from college to the Rehoboth outlets. All five women are from out of state and planned to buy at Harry & David’s, Eddie Bauer, Brooks Brothers and other retailers.
“We love to shop in Delaware because there is no sales tax,” she says.
Diane Franks of Ellicott City, Md., expects to spend more than last year because there is a new grandchild in the family.
But King says her gift list is shorter this year.
“In our family, the adults are drawing names this year, so we will spend less,” she says.
Budget-minded consumers will have lots to choose from as retailers offer deep discounts. Target’s Black Friday specials include a 40-inch Element HDTV for $119, kids’ two-piece pajama sets for $5, recent release film DVDs for $4, and a $140 Target gift card with the purchase of a $499 iPad Air 2.
Even shipping is competitive. The United States Postal Service is aggressively courting retailers, offering discounts of up to 58 percent on shipping charges. UPS and FedEx expect to raise rates to pay for increased labor and transportation costs that accompany increased volume.
Last year, Walmart and Toys R Us scored points with shoppers by offering guaranteed door busters, giving customers a raincheck on bargain-priced merchandise that sold out on Black Friday. This year, analysts expect more merchants to follow suit.
“Retailers are trying to figure out what buttons to push to get shoppers’ attention,” Chambliss says.
This week, Christiana debuts its new multiplex theater. In the past year, the mall has added or expanded 13 stores, including sellers of jewelry and electronics, which are subject to sales tax in neighboring states. Cabella’s is a regional draw for outdoor enthusiasts.
“Cabella’s offers a new shopping experience and new category for us that we expect will attract shoppers from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland,” he says.
Kmart, which pioneered Turkey Day sales, will be up with the chickens, opening at 6 a.m. and staying open for 42 hours straight. Sears will turn on the lights at 6 p.m. Toys R Us, which will start offering Black Friday deals on the Sunday before the holiday, will open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Best Buy will begin ringing up sales at 5 p.m., staffing stores with volunteer sales associates who will receive incentive pay.
Still, not everyone is in a hurry to start shopping. Massachusetts, home to the first Thanksgiving, prohibits stores from opening on the holiday. So do two other New England states, Maine and Rhode Island.
More than 10 major retailers have announced they will be closed on Thanksgiving. Leading the pack is Costco, which maintains a tradition of closing on holidays to allow employees to spend time with their families. Among the others: Marshalls, Barnes & Noble, Burlington Coat Factory, Nordstrom, TJ Maxx, and Sam’s Club.
GameStop took it a step further, saying customers as well as sales associates deserve a day off. Stores will open at midnight.
“We’ll see you on Black Friday,” says spokeswoman Jackie Smith.