A recent survey from HHGregg revealed that 61 percent of Atlanta shoppers find Black Friday frustrating and overwhelming. Lines and crowds are at the top of their complaints. But if the past few years are any indication, Atlantans will be out shopping in force beginning Thanksgiving Day.
As in years past, there is opposition to starting the shopping season on Thanksgiving Day. Across the country, store employees and action groups are petitioning stores to stay closed on Thanksgiving. Most major retailers are opening at least one hour and in some cases, three or more hours earlier than they did last year on Thanksgiving. You can bet those stores wouldn’t be open if they expected to be empty.
Some locals are clear on their desire to avoid consumerist pursuits on Thanksgiving, but each year, many others make a different choice. If you are on the fence about whether to shop on Thanksgiving Day, here are some reasons why so many Atlantans do and why you may want to join them:
Better deals. If you're going to shop during the five-day stretch from Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday, you are likely to get some of the best deals on Thanksgiving Day. A number of deal experts, relying on years of historical data, conclude that Thanksgiving Day offers the better deals. Of course, it depends on what products you are looking for and you still have to do your research, but chances are good that some of the best prices of the weekend will turn up on Thanksgiving.
A better chance of getting what you want. Shopping on Thanksgiving means you get first dibs on the goods. Retailers are now staggering doorbuster-type deals across the entire weekend, both in-store and online, to keep shoppers shopping, but many retailers, led by Wal-Mart, also have taken the step of increasing their Black Friday inventory in a number of categories. That doesn't mean everyone will score the most popular extreme doorbusters, but you may have a better chance of getting many of the other items on sale.
It's something to do. Everyone has a Thanksgiving Day tradition. Some families take after-dinner walks, others go to the movies, some go ice skating. While it may offend the sensibilities of critics of American consumerism, some families just like to shop. If they are actually planning to go out to stores (rather than surfing the Web), Black Friday shopping is probably done best when you do it with people you love the most.
