Examining the Black Friday Creep Debate
The holidays are drawing near and inevitably, so are debates regarding the "Black Friday Creep." We're talking about the recent phenomenon where Black Friday has managed to inch further and further into Thanksgiving festivities, with retailers like Target, Best Buy and Macy's opening as early as 6am on Thanksgiving.
According to a study by the ICSC, Black Friday is still the biggest retail holiday. 41% of Americans plan to shop on that day. And while only 12% plan to shop on Thanksgiving, that's still over 38.2 million shoppers.
Interestingly, shoppers aren't just flocking to the stores like sheep. They're actually informed and savvy shoppers willing to wait for the best deal...year-round. Two-thirds of the shoppers plan to start shopping before Thanksgiving. And they're nabbing great deals for themselves as well.
So it might not make sense for all stores to participate in the creep. From the retailer's perspective, it ultimately depends on whether the store can turn a profit. Of course, there are also employees and family time to consider. [LinkedIn]
