Maureen Wallenfang
Appleton Post-Crescent
Published 3:36 PM EST Nov 19, 2018
It won’t be the same.
Black Friday is missing some of its big players this year because of bankruptcy.
Toys R Us and Younkers, two popular Black Friday destinations, are gone.
So are many shoppers who learned years ago they could stay home and get most of Black Friday’s deals on the internet, sometimes hours or days before they appeared in the stores.
The Black Friday all-night, shop-til-you-drop vibe has cooled considerably.
Fox River Mall cut its overnight hours last year, and is doing it again this year. It’s open 6 p.m.-midnight on Thanksgiving night. It reopens at 6 a.m. on Black Friday. (Anchor stores, however, set their hours. See list below.)
But Black Friday won’t be a bust.
People will still come out, and the mall’s hallways will still be crowded Thanksgiving night. Cars full of families will still stream off Interstate 41. Thursday’s paper will still have fliers measured in pounds rather than pages. People will still come for “in-store only” doorbusters. Pink will always have a line.
Some shoppers will go because it’s what they’ve always done. Or they’re home from college and want to connect with friends. Thanksgiving night is a social night in the mall’s hallways.
“It’s more of an outing,” said longtime Black Friday-goer Pam Trader of Menasha, who goes with multiple generations of her family. “I don’t take a shopping list and cross it off. It’s more for the fun of just going out with all the crowds.”
Some retailers will be closed on Thanksgiving: Barnes & Noble, Costco, Fleet Farm, Half Price Books, Hobby Lobby, Home Depot, HomeGoods, Joann, Lowe’s, Marshalls, Menards, Pier 1 Imports, Sam’s Club, Scheels, TJ Maxx and World Market.
A sampling of opening times:
Thanksgiving Day
JCPenney: 2 p.m., stays open all night
Shopko: 2 p.m., stays open all night
Old Navy: 3 p.m., stays open all night. Doorbusters and coupons start at midnight
Kohl’s: 5 p.m., stays open all night
Macy’s: 5 p.m.-2 a.m., reopens 6 a.m. Friday
Target: 5 p.m.-1 a.m., reopens 7 a.m. Friday
Best Buy: 5 p.m.-1 a.m., reopens 8 a.m. Friday
Walmart: In-store deals begin 6 p.m., open all night
Dick’s: 6 p.m.-2 a.m., reopens 5 a.m. Friday
Sears: 6 p.m.-midnight, reopens 5 a.m. Friday
Fox River Mall hallways: 6 p.m. to midnight, reopens 6 a.m. Friday
Black Friday
Menards: 6 a.m.
Fleet Farm: 6 a.m.
Scheels: 7 a.m
Sam’s Club: 7 a.m.
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