Black Friday starting Thursday at some stores
Area stores have announced early holiday openings to take advantage of the annual Black Friday shopping madness.
Among those that will open Thanksgiving Day are Sears, Walmart, Target and Kmart, despite threats that some workers may walk out protesting having to work on the holiday. According to Associated Press, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has asked the National Labor Relations Board to stop a union-backed group from encouraging worker walkouts at hundreds of stores. Workers at Target also have threatened a walkout.
However, the Walmart in South Union Township, which is normally open 24 hours a day, will offer sales starting at 8 p.m. Thursday, followed by others at 10 p.m. and through the night.
Target at Widewater Commons off Matthew Drive in South Union Township will be open from 9 p.m. Thursday until 11 p.m. Friday.
The Super Kmart on Matthew Drive will hold Black Friday sales from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, from 8 p.m. Thursday to to 3 a.m. Friday, and from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, according to a company spokesman.
Sears will open at 8 p.m. Thursday to offer customers its “doorbuster” sale items.
Even Uniontown Mall and its stores are getting in on the action.
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns the local shopping center, will open the doors to Uniontown Mall at midnight Thursday. The early opening will allow local shoppers access to the added-value sales many retailers are offering exclusively during the overnight hours.
“In addition to the midnight opening and exclusive discounts, there will be refreshments of coffee, cookies and water at 3 a.m. and entertainment at Uniontown Mall, creating an enjoyable, convenient experience for the official kick-off of the holiday shopping season,” said Pam Moore, the mall’s general manager.
Moore said the mall had allowed access to select stores that opened early last year and found it was a successful shopping experience.
“This year we have 30 tenants that opted to open at midnight. It seems to be very well received by the customers. We are giving them access to the discounts and sales available in the early hours,” Moore added.
Mall security will be on duty.
“We will be fully staffed at midnight, including myself,” she said.
The mall will close at 10 p.m. Friday.
“We expect a big shopping season,” Moore said, adding the National Retail Federation is expecting sales to rise 4.1 percent this holiday season.
The stores at the mall that will open at midnight will include Bon Ton, Bon Ton Home Store, Bon Ton Kids Store, Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Amy’s Hallmark, Auntie Anne’s, Bath & Body Works, Claire’s, Dunham’s, Finish Line, fye, Gamestop, Hot Topic, Justice, King’s Jewelry, Kitchen Collection, New York & Co., PacSun, Payless Shoe Source, Piercing Pagoda, Radio Shack, Rosa Pizza, Rue21, Spencer’s, Subway, Things Remembered, Vitamin World and Zales.
Hours at the anchor stores will be Bon-Ton, midnight Thursday to 11 p.m. Friday; Burlington Coat Factory, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; and JCPenney, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday.
Individual store opening times and notable Black Friday offers will be posted on Uniontown Mall’s website leading up to Thanksgiving and on Black Friday.
Visit online at www.shopuniontownmall.com to find individual store opening times.
Starting Friday and throughout the holiday season, shoppers will be able to create and share personalized holiday e-cards and enter the mall’s $2,000 Shopping Spree Sweepstakes.
Also, Uniontown Mall is offering a variety of promotions designed to enhance the shopping experience that include: extended holiday shopping hours; Santa Claus photos, including special sessions with pets; a gift wrapping service by Pleasant View Presbyterian Church, with proceeds benefiting their many community outreach projects; festive entertainment and American Express mall gift cards for personal and business gift giving.
Additionally, Uniontown Mall is supporting Fayette County through the International Council of Shopping Center’s (ICSC) Shop Local campaign, which encourages consumers to shop in the community to help strengthen its economic base. Plus, select mall retailers are partaking in Small Business Saturday, a day dedicated to supporting small businesses nationwide.