The spending spree continues after some of the top retailers opened their doors on Thanksgiving Day to pre-Black Friday shoppers.
Over a dozen major retailers opened their doors on Thursday to kick off some of the Black Friday deals crazed by customers across the country.
While over half a million of shoppers resorted to online shopping, some of the stores consumers took advantage of yesterday were: Kmart (the first one to open its doors), Target, Sears, BestBuy, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Toys R Us, and of course Wal-Mart.
Within the past few years, retailers have “…pushed opening times into Thanksgiving night… and discounting in early November, instead of waiting until Black Friday.”
The idea of Thanksgiving Day shopping received criticism from workers and consumers. Opponents have viewed it as an inconsiderate workday, especially on a holiday meant for spending quality time with family.
Thus, the trend has now become an official start to Christmas shopping. However, Black Friday shopping still holds its title as the biggest shopping day of the year, turning many American consumers into shopping maniacs.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) prediction for this year’s Black Friday was that there would be an 18% increase in spending compared to 2012, in which deals on technology would be the reason.
For instance, some of the big electronic savings that early shoppers can look forward to include: Staple’s new Kindle Fire 7 inch tablet for $79, BestBuy’s 55-inch LG flat screen television is marked as $499 and Wal-Mart is spoiling iPad mini purchasers with $100 gift cards.
Most of the retailers already listed will keep their doors open until 11 p.m. tonight, so you may just be able to catch a deal OR you could just wait until Cyber Monday if you rather not deal with today’s shopping frenzy.
Here is a humorous video about Black Friday.