Down Your Turkey, Hit The Mall?

More Stores Bank On Thanksgiving Day Shoppers, But Some May Be Tightening Their Belts

(CBS/AP)  The nation's retailers want shoppers to spend less time eating turkey and stuffing on Thanksgiving and more time shopping - whether it's online or on land.

For the second year in a row, CompUSA Inc. and BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. are opening their doors on Thanksgiving. The exception are stores in Massachusetts where local laws preclude holiday hours. CompUSA also added an extra incentive for consumers this year by providing pumpkin pie for those in line.

Iconic toy store FAO Schwarz - with locations in New York, Chicago and Las Vegas - is set to open its doors on the holiday as well.

In the past, holiday shopping on Thanksgiving Day was limited to discount stores like Kmart and Wal-Mart, as well as grocery retailers and 24-hour convenience stores like 7-Eleven Inc.

With America's armies of turkey-fed shoppers feeling squeezed by weak credit, higher mortgages and gas prices, the big-name stores may need every free-pie gimmick they can dream up to compete with the discount sellers.

That $3.20 latte at Starbucks or the $300 handbag at Coach may no longer be affordable luxuries.

Such changes - which emerged this past summer and surfaced in the latest financial results for retailers - could alter dynamics of the holiday shopping season as it officially kicks off on Friday… or Thursday, if the T-Day shopping craze catches on.

For some shoppers, it could be as drastic as buying all their clothes at discounters instead of department stores. For others, it could be as subtle as buying a wallet instead of a handbag or one latte per week at a fancy coffee shop and deli coffee on the other days.

The trend could benefit discounters, warehouse clubs and drug stores while hurting department stores and mall-based apparel chains. Even Starbucks Inc. reported its first decline in traffic on record at its U.S. stores.

"People are so cash- and credit-concerned," said retail consultant Burt Flickinger III, noting that he hasn't seen "the trading down" phenomenon since the 1987 stock market crash resulted in massive job losses and the housing slump in the early 1990s.

All retailers - discount or not - will be watching with interest to see how many shoppers can be lured out of their turkey-induced daze to take advantage of the Thanksgiving day hours offered by an increasing number of stores.

"Some people just can't wait until Friday," said Kirsten Whipple, a Sears spokeswoman. "Thanksgiving dinner is done and they have moved on."

Ellen Davis, spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, said the Thanksgiving openings may be a way of generating early enthusiasm ahead of a holiday season that's widely expected to be sluggish. Still, she said, no matter how stiff the competition is, for those new in the game, opening on Thanksgiving is still considered a tough decision when weighing employee time off and other factors.

"I think at this point Thanksgiving is still very revered in the retail industry," Davis said. "A lot of retailers just don't want to touch Thursday."

Web shopping is a different matter. More retailers are pushing shoppers to buy online on Thanksgiving, instead of just researching deals for Black Friday, named because it was traditionally when stores became profitable.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which last year offered one or two online specials on Thanksgiving, is offering specials on 20 to 30 products on its Web site. CompUSA.com is featuring one-day, online-only sales on Thanksgiving - on products including computers, LCD flat-panel TVs and portable DVD players - and free shipping on certain items.

Amazon.com Inc. held a poll to allow visitors to vote for items they want to see drastically discounted beginning Thursday. The Web site also is offering shipping incentives and other deals spanning the weekend.

Toys "R" Us' site and eToys.com are both featuring a slew of online specials just for Thanksgiving. Toysrus.com is featuring up to 65 percent savings on everything from Matchbox cars to Spider-Man 3 interactive figures, while eToys.com is offering up to 60 percent off on select items.

[khaya-2009]

Unlike years past, I don''t intend to spend a dime this year for gifts.

Whether you''re handy with tools or a needle and yarn, a personalized homemade gift shows how much you care.

[nano-coffee]

This is a hectic time for everyone.
I found a great website that is giving away FREE healthy boosting energy supplement samples to get shoppers thru the holiday season. Nano-Coffee.com

[usayesterday]

$3 gas, lead in toys, mortgage crunch, etc. I predict a flop.

Posted by incog-nito at 11:40 PM : Nov 22, 2007
..........

I share the same prediction.

I cautiously hold my breath for the sales results at at the end of this year.

[incog-nito]

The same old MP3 players, flat screen TV''s, and oh yeah, GPS''s. Nothing new, no innovation, same old ***.

[incog-nito]

$3 gas, lead in toys, mortgage crunch, etc. I predict a flop.

[ontheleft]

Lots of good deals are available today and tomorrow - and you can get a lot of deals online. Take advantage of these "loss leaders" while you can if they''re things you have been looking to buy.

[usayesterday]

ttinsly,

Re: "I refuse to buy anything. I''''m not going to support corporate America anymore. I''''m going to boycott them. I will try to buy more from responsible local businesses that respect their customers, treat their workers well, contribute to their communities, and respect environmental laws. If corporate America and the wealthy need more profits, they can get it from their CEO''''s, not from me..."
.......

Don''t forget... you can buy perfectly good used items on Ebay or from individuals on Craigslist.org!

Buying used items helps keep the money within the community and also could help an individual who may need the money more than the item they are trying to sell!

If the weather wasn''t so cold this time of year, it would be great for a national ''yard sale'' of individuals like all of us selling our used items we don''t need anymore.

I''d rather travel to various garage/yard sales than to Big Box Mart on the day after Thanksgiving (if there was such sales in my neighborhood).

[feelfree1]

ttinsly,

Re: "I refuse to buy anything. I''m not going to support corporate America anymore. I''m going to boycott them. I will try to buy more from responsible local businesses that respect their customers, treat their workers well, contribute to their communities, and respect environmental laws. If corporate America and the wealthy need more profits, they can get it from their CEO''s, not from me..."

Hooray, and hear, hear!

I''m dreaming for a red-ink Christmas for KKKorporate America.

[g-gfather]

PROFANITY AND NAME CALLING ARE THE BILLBOARDS OF IGNORANCE..PLEASE TEACH AND REPECT OUR CHILREN. LOVE TO AND FROM THE CHILDREN ..Greatgranfather.

[g-gfather]

THANKSGIVING HAS BECOME NO MORE THAN THE STARTING LINE FOR THE RUSH TO THE CORPORATE GARBAGE DISPOSAL THAT IS MAKING FOREIGN COUNTRIES RICH ENOUGH TO DISTROY OUR U.S.A. BETTER GET THE "LEAD" OUT FOLKS, WE ARE BUYING OUR DISTRUCTION. OUR NEEDS ARE EASILY FILLED OUR WANTS-- NEVER.WE NEED OUR COUNTRY, WE NEED OUR JOBS, WE NEED TO COME HOME TO AMERICA THIS "THANKSGIVING" FOR THE SAKE OF THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILREN. LOVE TO ALL THIS THANKGIVING. greatgrandfather

[bigpecker4]

Let me tell ya somfin about Hillary Clinton, Mr. Bush: Her peckkkkers bigger than yers.

[bigpecker4]

Its amazing how people can laugh in the face of destruction and mayhem. Ain''t dey afraid? Huh? Pisses me off..

[nmsuip]

Bah humbug. I''m sick of the holidays. It''s all about retailing so I''m not playing along anymore. Even the origins of the holidays are rooted in marketing. Was Christ born in December? Almost certainly not. Yule was used as an excuse to slip the pagans a "mickey" to pitch Christianity to them.

I''m busy enough as it is so I don''t need retailers to tell me to hurry up and go spend more money (yet they''re too ashamed to actually say "Christmas"). I enjoy the time off & staying home with the family (don''t get me started on holiday travel...), but otherwise we''re sitting it out from now on.

[hypnotoad72]

I''ll wait for tomorrow to be broadsided by a bunch of crazed maniacs, wanting their new "Vibrating Molestation Elmo" doll or whatever it is.

I do agree; today is for family and tomorrow is for juicy sales. 8 years ago it would have made more sense to open up on a holiday. Given the current state of America''s economy, it seems a counterintuitive thing to do. But I am not an economist... perhaps I ought to be?

[Krazcarl]

Gave up on the high prices of the mall back in high school only kids and folks with no max credit cards shop there waste of time and waste of money neither I can afford, So let the young and follish learn there lessons we did.

[mythoughtsr]

Keithle1, you know, I think would rather shop than give birth to a flaming porcupine, although I did LOL at your post.

[beehive21-2009]

Take the day off,drink,eat,do Mary,you can act a fool friday.We need to reevaluate the madness being displayed by shoppers on Black Friday,what are they doing with all the junk ?

[keithle1]

I''d rather give birth to a flaming porcupine than go shopping on Thanksgiving or Black Friday.

Who are these people who HAVE to shop? Who are chomping at the bit to shop. Who line up outside stores/the mall five hours before it opens.

They are insane.

[bbp9857]

Capitalistmas lives on! All hail the holy profits.

[knyghtwolf]

Happy Thanksgiving, people......some blessings, no matter how small or meager, ARE worth thinking about.
May Corporate america forever roast & rot in H3LL...