Some retailers opening at midnight on Friday; most waiting until 5 or 6 a.m. to begin
In between chewing turkey and watching football, Thanksgiving is a day for serious shoppers to plot their Black Friday game plan.
The madness starts at Arundel Mills Mall, which will open its doors at midnight on Friday and kick off 22 hours of continuous shopping at the mall.
For those looking forward to an all-night shopping spree, Arundel Mills will give away $2,500 in prizes and gift certificates from 12:30 to 3:30 a.m., including a $1,000 Simon Visa Gift Card.
“It’s a very big deal for retailers, and it’s always a lot of fun,” said Wendy Ellis, marketing director for Arundel Mills. “We’ve done this at some of our sister centers, and it’s been a big success.”
Other area malls, including The Mall in Columbia, White Marsh Mall and Towson Town Center, are scheduled to open their doors at 6 a.m.
Long lines are sure to form outside specialty stores like KB Toys, Toys R Us and Best Buy, where shoppers will head for some of the season’s must-have toys and gifts.
KB Toys will follow Arundel Mills’ lead and open its doors at midnight on Friday.
There’s a KB at Arundel Mills and others in White Marsh and at Eastpoint Mall in Baltimore.
Toys R Us, with locations in Baltimore, Glen Burnie and Towson, will open at 5 a.m.
Best Buy, with locations in Baltimore, White Marsh and Annapolis, will open at 5 a.m.
Department stores like J.C. Penney and Macy’s will open at 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., respectively.
Discounters like Wal-Mart and Target have planned openings at 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., respectively.
About 81 percent of Black Friday consumers will shop at discount stores, 78 percent will shop at department stores and 63 percent with shop at electronics stores, according to a consumer survey from the International Council of Shopping Centers.
For those still thinking about Thanksgiving dinner, many area grocery stores, such as Giant, Safeway and Super Fresh, and liquor stores will be open until mid-afternoon today.
Predicted top toys
For boys:
» Video games
» Nintendo Wii
» Lego
» Cars (generic)
» Transformers
For girls:
» Barbie
» Disney Hannah Montana
» Dolls (generic)
» Bratz
» Nintendo Wii
Source: National Retail Federation
Predicted top five Black Friday sellers
» Sony 1080p Blu-ray Player with Internet Access
» VUDU XL Movie Server, offering database of thousands of HD movies
» Zeppelin iPod Dock
» Pioneer Kuro Plasma TV
» Sonos Digital Music Systems for home or outdoors
Source: Home Theater Specialists of America
