ALTON/EDWARDSVILLE - Thanksgiving is known as the official start of the holiday season. Instead of gathering with family and eating the traditional fixings, people have begun lining up outside of major retailers to take advantage of some massive sales and doorbusters on Black Friday.
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From televisions and other electronics at the Edwardsville Best Buy location to hundreds of discounted items at the Alton Target and more, thousands of dollars were to be saved at the various retailers around the area beginning at around 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and lasting throughout the weekend.
According to research conducted by the National Retail Federation, 135.8 million Americans plan to get a kick start on their holiday shopping this Thanksgiving weekend.
Noelle Reedy and two of her family members were out at the Alton Target to get a head start on their own shopping. However, the trio did not make it out to the store until around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday evening.
“It’s a shame that the stores keep opening earlier and early each year,” Reedy said. “We liked when it was in the middle of the night, going out after we ate our dinner at six. It was a little more fun. Now, the crowds are gone and but we still have fun.”
According to a recent infographic compiled by Google, consumer electronics and cell phone stores see their largest influx of traffic on Black Friday. However, for shopping malls, department stores and superstores, they see their highest peak traffic closer to Christmas.
The same data revealed that traffic peaks for most stores between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Black Friday. The data also recommends to stay away from stores when the Thanksgiving doorbusters are available around 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
If you missed out on the Black Friday doorbusters, look no further than the small businesses in your area. This upcoming Saturday marks Small Business Saturday, an opportunity for local businesses to showcase their items at great prices in efforts to raise visibility and boost local economies.
If you tend to avoid the difficult crowds that shopping around the holiday season are notorious for, consider logging onto your computer or mobile devices for Cyber Monday’s digital deals. Online retailers such as Amazon.com, NewEgg.com and Overstock.com plan to stock their virtual shelves with deals better than those on Black Friday. The large retailers are also getting in on the action, offering heavy discounts with offers like free shipping or interest-free financing options.
