Merchants are slowly backing off a recent trend of opening their stores extra-early on the day after Thanksgiving as they attempt to lure shoppers with special sales and a rallying cry of shop locally.
They want to tap into the estimated 95.5 million shoppers expected to hit the stores nationally during the day-after-Thanksgiving shopping deluge, an increase from the 92.1 million who shopped on Black Friday 2013, according to the National Retail Federation.
Some store owners are going discount crazy, offering cash-back coupons.
Newly expanded Swain’s General Store at 602 E. First St. in Port Angeles is opening at 6 a.m. instead of the 5 a.m. kickoff of 2013, manager Don Droz said Wednesday.
“The big-box stores are just going crazy with whatever,” Droz said.
“We’ve just got to decide what’s good for our store alone.”
Swain’s, which expanded 25 percent this year to 35,000 square feet, now occupies the adjacent former Pacific Appliances, TV and Refrigeration.
“This is the first year of the expansion, so we’re pretty excited,” Droz said.
It’s meant lots more room for hardware, Droz said.
Swain’s also will be selling its store gift cards at 20 percent off the purchase price only today, along with a one-time deal of $15 off for every $75 purchase.
Alan Turner, owner of Port Book and News at 104 E. First St., is offering discounts on games, Christmas cards and books.
“We are trying to give them something special in those sales,” he said Wednesday.
His store has never realized much of a surge Black Friday.
So Turner has emailed customers urging them to “keep their money local,”
“It feels to me like people are more cognizant of that,” he said.
Port Townsend
In Port Townsend, many merchants are focusing on Saturday sales as they participate in Small Business Saturday.
“Black Friday is more for big-box stores,” said Ron McElroy, a department manager at Quimper Mercantile at 1121 Water St. in Port Townsend.
The store has lots of things on sale but won’t open early and doesn’t plan to close late Friday.
Quimper Mercantile and other Port Townsend businesses are participating in Small Business Saturday sponsored by American Express.
Under the program, American Express card holders who spend $10 or more at a participating small business receive a $10 credit for up to three separate purchases.
Last year, “it was very popular,” McElroy said.
Wild Rose Chorale carolers will be singing in the streets of downtown Port Townsend.
Many shops will have late hours and offer specials.
For every $500 spent at participating businesses starting Friday, customers may pick a $25 gift certificate from the wall of gift certificates at the Main Street office at 211 Taylor St., Suite 3.
Victorian Open Parlor Saturdays also are planned Saturday, Dec. 6, Dec. 12, and Dec. 20, according to Port Townsend Main Street.
At Hadlock Building Supply, 901 Ness’ Corner Road, Port Hadlock, Assistant Administrator Chris Benson said the store is keeping normal hours of 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday but is offering substantial sales.
Port Angeles Saturdays and beyond
The newly formed Revitalize Port Angles group also is promoting a shop-small theme downtown on Saturday and through the holiday season.
Continuing through Dec. 24, every $10 spent at Turner’s store generates a $1 “Indie Buck” that can be redeemed for up to 50 percent of a purchase from January through March.
It’s a version of the Port Angeles Downtown Association’s ongoing Winter Bucks promotion.
Participating businesses in the program offer $1 coupons for every $10 spent in January and February, said association board President Bob Lumens, owner of Northwest Fudge and Confections, 108 W. First St.
“There’s a renewed enthusiasm in Port Angeles about shop local, buy local that sort of stuff,” he said Wednesday.
Except on Black Friday.
“There is a reality in small business that Black Friday is not about us,” Lumens said.
“People are going to go to Target or go to Walmart or go to that kind of thing.”
Indeed, Walmart stores in Port Angeles and Sequim that already are open 24 hours a day are poised for whatever Black Friday rush ensues, company spokeswoman Debbie Serr said Wednesday.
Serr said the Wal-Mart is intent on not running out of any specially priced items,
So, the company tripled the amount of inventory on select items such as certain TVs for Black Friday and the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend compared to 2013.
And the stores are offering special sales at 6 a.m. Friday for shopping diehards.
Open on Thanksgiving
The store also is open today, Thanksgiving day.
It that a harbinger?
For the first time in almost 30 years of business, Turner has received calls this year from customers asking him if he will be open today.
“Enough stores are doing it now that it will be expected that everyone be open Thanksgiving,” Turner predicted.
“If I turn to my employees and tell them, we have to be open because everyone else is open, I would feel like such a creep.”
Maurice’s women’s clothing just east of Port Angeles, at 2743 E. U.S. Highway 101 opened two hours early on Black Friday 2013 but is opening at its normal 8 a.m. this Friday.
The chain store’s corporate headquarters gave each store the choice to open early.
“We were given the option, so we are going to remain with spending time with our families,” Adair said.
But Sequim’s J.C. Penney at 651 W. Washington St. will open at 5 p.m. today and stay open until 8 p.m. Friday, store manager Paul Quinn said, adding he is not forgetting his workers who must toil on Thanksgiving.
“I’ve got lots of food for the employees here at the store,” he said.
He, too, is intent on not running out of special sale items, especially kitchen appliances.
“We’ve got stacks and stacks of those things,” he said.
“It’s pretty exciting.”
Brian Menkal, owner of Brian’s Sporting Goods at nearby 542 W. Washington St., is opening at 8 a.m. Friday, an hour earlier than usual but two hours later than Black Friday 2013.
Opening earlier, he found, “ is not that big a deal,” he said.
Forks Outfitters is sticking to normal hours Friday of 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
“We’ve already done the early thing, and it doesn’t work,” Benson said.
“We’ll just be giving people deals all day and not be giving any special hour to get this or a special hour to get that.”
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
