‘Tis the season for holiday shopping, and Florida retailers are optimistic
Bargain hunters, it’s your time to shine.
The busiest shopping week of the year is here, with Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday kicking off the holiday season.
Black Friday has become a two-day event, with many retailers opening on Thanksgiving to try to maximize sales.
But even if Black Friday has started to lose its luster, the tradition of flocking to packed malls and stores remains strong, even as bargain hunters seek non-shopping alternatives (think Amazon).
An estimated 99 million people shopped in stores last year on Black Friday, according to the National Retail Federation, which was down about 3 million from 2015.
Another decline is likely this year, though those customary long lines again will be there the next two days. Black Friday has become a tradition.
“Some of the people we’ve talked to said they just like the crowds,” said Jon Vincent, the founder of the website earlyblackfriday.com. “In general, the people just really like going into the stores for shopping.”
There are 32 days – including five weekends – between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, and the Florida Retail Federation expects holiday sales will increase 3 to 3.5 percent over last year, despite Hurricane Irma’s impact on much of the state.
“Hurricane Irma hit our state extremely hard ... and we factored in this impact in our forecast,” Florida Retail Federation president and CEO Scott Shalley said. “But we feel the overall strength of our economy and the incredible recovery efforts that have taken place will help lessen the impact on retail sales this holiday season.”
For those who are serious about securing savings and don’t mind waiting in line, here’s a rundown of hours for the major stores in the Bradenton area for Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
As always, hours are subject to change, so confirm with the retailer before heading out.
Bealls
Thanksgiving: 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Black Friday: Opens at 6 a.m.
Best Buy
Thanksgiving: 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Black Friday: Opens at 8 a.m.
Big Lots
Thanksgiving: 7 a.m. to midnight
Black Friday: Opens at 6 a.m.
DeSoto Square mall
Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: Opens at 9 a.m.
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Thanksgiving: 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Black Friday: Opens at 5 a.m.
Dillard’s
Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: Opens at 8 a.m.
Dollar General
Thanksgiving: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Black Friday: Opens at 8 a.m.
Dollar Tree
Thanksgiving: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Black Friday: Opens at 8 a.m.
Ellenton Premium Outlets
Thanksgiving: 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Black Friday: Opens at 6 a.m.
Home Depot
Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: Opens at 6 a.m.
JCPenney
Thanksgiving: 2 p.m. to midnight
Black Friday: Midnight to 10 p.m.
Kmart
Thanksgiving: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Black Friday: Opens at 6 a.m.
Kohl’s
Thanksgiving: 5 p.m. to midnight
Black Friday: Midnight to 11 p.m.
Lowe’s
Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: Opens at 6 a.m.
Macy’s
Thanksgiving: 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Black Friday: Opens at 6 a.m.
Mall at University Town Center
Thanksgiving: 6 p.m. to midnight
Black Friday: Opens at 8 a.m.
Marshalls
Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: Opens at 7 a.m.
Michaels
Thanksgiving: 6 p.m. to midnight
Black Friday: Opens at 7 a.m.
Office Depot
Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: Opens at 7:45 a.m.
Pier 1 Imports
Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: Opens at 8 a.m.
Sears
Thanksgiving: 6 p.m. to midnight
Black Friday: Opens at 5 a.m.
Staples
Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: Opens at 7 a.m.
Stein Mart
Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: Opens at 7 a.m.
Target
Thanksgiving: 6 p.m. to midnight
Black Friday: Opens at 6 a.m.
Toys R Us
Thanksgiving: 5 p.m. to midnight
Black Friday: Midnight to 11 p.m.
Walmart
Thanksgiving: Most stores open all day; Black Friday sales start at 6 p.m.
Black Friday: Most open 24 hours
Mike Garbett: 941-745-7011; @MGarbett52
This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 12:20 PM with the headline "‘Tis the season for holiday shopping, and Florida retailers are optimistic."