[November 26, 2009]

'Black Friday' rush starts even earlier [The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson]

(Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Nov. 26--There's no need to wait for Black Friday to start looking for holiday deals.

A handful of businesses will be open today -- the Thanksgiving holiday -- so you can hit the stores before the turkey cools.

Michaels, the arts-and-crafts purveyor, will be open 5 to 9 p.m. today, allowing customers to pick up Christmas trees for half price. Walmart will stay open its normal hours during the holiday, and Kmart doors are opening at 7 a.m.

But, for those who can wait, some of the biggest deals can still be had by crawling out of bed in the predawn hours Friday.

Dubbed "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving is one of the biggest shopping days of the year, when people line up outside stores eager for discounts and retailers hope to start turning a profit -- or going into "the black." According to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation, more people might hit the stores this year than last year. Nationwide, up to 134 million people will shop this Friday, Saturday or Sunday, the survey found.

That's more than the 128 million people who planned to do so last year, the federation said.

The federation, which released its 2009 holiday forecast in October, projected holiday retail-industry sales in November and December to decline 1 percent to $437.6 billion. While the number falls significantly below the 10-year average of 3.39 percent holiday-season growth, the decline would not be as significant as last year's 3.4 percent drop in holiday retail sales.

Local retailers have joined the fray. While many can't offer the same discounts as the big chains, they're offering sale prices on some of their items and hosting community-based events that encourage shoppers to spend some of their money at Tucson-owned businesses.

The Deals Here are some highlights from Thanksgiving Day's ad inserts in the Arizona Daily Star: Bed Bath & Beyond, opens 6 a.m. Friday --20 percent off entire purchase when you shop between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Friday Best Buy, opens 5 a.m. Friday --$1,599 Samsung 46" Class 1080p LED HDTV --$99.99 Garmin Nuvi 205w portable wide-screen Global Positioning System --$99.99 Insignia Blu-ray Disc Player Big 5 Sporting Goods, opens 5:30 a.m. Friday --$199 Sportcraft '2-in-1' 7-foot billiard table with table tennis conversion top Dick's Sporting Goods, opens 5 a.m. Friday --$179.89 Potomac 100ES Kayak Home Depot, opens 6 a.m. Friday --$49 7-foot LED or pre-decorated Christmas tree JCPenney, opens 4 a.m. Friday --$29.99 Women's boots --$69.88 Cuisinart Thermal Brew Central Kmart, opens 7 a.m. today. Black Friday deals below start at 6 a.m.

--$379.99 Sony Bravia L Series 32" LCD HDTV --$9.99 Crystal earrings 18-carat gold over sterling silver --$29.99 Jaclyn Smith 100% cashmere sweaters Kohl's, opens 4 a.m. Friday --40 to 55 percent off entire stock of outerwear --40 to 50 percent off entire stock of sleepwear, loungewear and robes Macy's, opens 5 a.m. Friday --$29.99 Izod Fleece Jackets for men --$39.99 Charter Club quilted jacket with collar for women Michaels, open today from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.. Opens 6 a.m. Friday.

--50 percent off 7-foot or 7.5-foot Christmas Tree Office Depot, opens 6 a.m. Friday --$199.99 Acer Netbook Computer with Intel Atom Processor N270 OfficeMax, opens 7 a.m. Friday --$379.99 HP Pavilion Laptop with 15.6" wide-screen Old Navy, Park Place location opens today at noon. Opens 3 a.m. Friday --All outerwear 50 percent off RadioShack, opens 10 a.m. today and 5:30 a.m. Friday --$399.99 Samsung 32" LCD HDTV Sears, opens 4 a.m. Friday --$79.99 Kodak CD-80 10.2 megapixel digital camera --$579.98 for both a Kenmore 3.5-cubic feet high efficiency washer and 5.8-cubic feet dryer Sports Authority, opens 5 a.m. Friday --$99.99 Garmin Nuvi 205 Auto Global Positioning System Sportsman's Warehouse, opens 6 a.m. Friday --$29.99 Cobra Electronics Corp. 27-mile two-way radios Target, opens 5 a.m. Friday --Free $10 gift card when you spend more than $100 in stores Friday between 5 a.m. and noon --$246 Westinghouse 32" LCD HDTV --$88 Nikon Coolpix S203 10 megapixel digital camera Toys R Us, opens 12 a.m. Friday --$99.99 Furreal Friends S'mores Pony --$17.49 Nextar 2 GB MP3 player with video Walmart, open regular hours today. Deals below Friday 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.

--$448 Emerson 42" Plasma 720p HDTV --$78 Magnavox Blu-ray Disc Player --$398 HP Pavilion p6245w-b Desktop computer Black Thursday? Some stores will be open today, Thanksgiving: --Kmart, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

--Michaels, 5 to 9 p.m.

--Old Navy, Park Place location at 5070 E. Broadway noon to 7 p.m.

--RadioShack, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

--Walmart, open regular hours, some 24 hours.

'Buy-Local Day' Tucson business owners are encouraging shoppers to spend their cash at locally owned businesses on Black Friday. There will be family-focused activities and music at these times and locations Friday: --9 a.m. to 4 p.m., La Placita Village, 110 S. Church Ave.

--Noon to 3 p.m., Campbell Village, 3055 N. Campbell Ave.

--12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Maynard's Market, 400 N. Toole Ave.

--All day, as long as shops are open on North Fourth Avenue, between East University Boulevard and the Union Pacific railroad tracks.

Contact reporter Dale Quinn at 573-4197 or dquinn@azstarnet.com To see more of The Arizona Daily Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.azstarnet.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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