Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Black Friday: What's open when?

Black Friday is almost upon us, which means it's time for a big roundup of which stores are trying to part you with your money, and when they're opening.

Below is a list of when local chain stores and malls are opening their doors to shoppers, as well as some shopping tips. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it does cover pretty much everything I've accumulated from malls and stores over the past couple weeks.


Thursday and Friday, email any questions/observations/anecdotes/near-trampling incidents you feel like sharing with me at elyportillo@charlotteobserver.com, or call me at 704-358-5041. I get your emails on my cell phone, and I'd appreciate any feedback.

Local malls:

  • SouthPark will open at 7 a.m. Friday. The following individual stores at the mall will open at midnight: Macy's, Aeropostale, American Eagle, Teavana, Lids, Express, Guess, Urban Outfitters, Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie and Hollister. Victoria's Secret and Belk will open at 3 a.m.
  • Northlake will open at 6 a.m. Abercrombie, Abercrombie & Fitch, Aerie, Aeropostale, American Eagle, Express, Finish Line, Footlocker, Forever 21, Guess, Hollister, Lids and Perfumania will open at midnight. Bakers Shoes and Starbucks will open at 4 a.m.
  • Carolina Place will open at 6 a.m. Abercrombie & Fitch, Aerie, AĆ©ropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Bath & Body Works, Bella Scarpa, Body Central, Bourbon Street Grill, Carolina Jewelry, Cellairis, Chick-fil-A, Children's Place, Claire's, Express, Hat Shack, Hershey's Ice Cream, Hickory Farms, Hollister Co., Hot Topic, Icing by Claire's, Express Men, Finish Line, Gamestop, Gap, The Limited, Macy's, McDonald's, Lane Bryant, New York & Company, P.S. from AĆ©ropostale, PacSun, Perfumania, Pro Image, Sbarro, Spencer's, Sports Fan Attic, Victoria's Secret, Wet Seal and XXI Forever will open at midnight. Authentik's and Belk will open at 3 a.m., Crazy 8, Gymboree, JCPenney, Rack Room Shoes and Sears will open at 4 a.m. and Dillard's will open at 8 a.m.
  • Concord Mills will open at midnight.
Other malls:
Monroe Mall will open at 3 a.m. Friday
Gaffney Outlets will open at midnight, with select stores open at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving

Individual stores:
Open on Thanksgiving: Old Navy, select Banana Republic and Gap stores, K-Mart, Wal-Mart supercenters
Open at 9 p.m. Thanksgiving: Toys 'R' Us
Black Friday sales starting at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving: Wal-Mart
Opening at midnight: Target, Macy's, Kohl's and Best Buy

Useful sites to look up Black Friday ads in one place:
http://www.2011blackfridayads.com and http://bfads.net/ 


Random tips and such:
So, have fun  whether you decide to shop till you drop or spend Friday morning sleeping off your turkey hangover. Follow us on Twitter @theobserver for shopping-related updates Thursday and Friday, and check out the main Charlotte Observer website too.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME IS OPEN 10-6
THE GEAR SHOP IS THE GIFT SHOP AND IS OPEN ALSO WITH NO ADMISSION . THERE IS AN EXTRA 50% OFF OF SALE MERCHANDISE. GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTS!!

Anonymous said...

Fort Mill Gun Shop in Fort Mill SC is doing a tax free sale on Black Friday!!

Anonymous said...

Everybody knows there's no better way to honor the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ than to buy some guns or racing crap.

Anonymous said...

OPPS!
THE HALL OF FAME AND GEAR SHOP HOURS ARE 10-5 NOT 6 O'CLOCK

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous 9:39 - We'll honor the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ next month. This is about Thanksgiving where we give "thanks." Although, I'm waiting to see which retailers will ruin Christmas by opening that night, therefore ruining an even better holiday.

Matt M said...

I wouldn't mind being at Victoria's Secret at 3am.

Maybe Victoria would give me a hint!

Anonymous said...

Hey 10:14 anon, are these people going Thanksgiving shopping at outrageous hours? No! They're going Christmas shopping.

Stop the freakin' madness!

Anonymous said...

Belk @ Northlake will also open at 3am

Anonymous said...

I will not be going anywhere near a store Friday. At the most it will be Food Lion.

Anonymous said...

ALL CHARLOTTE AREA GAP STORES WILL OPEN AT MIDNIGHT!

Boatman said...

I understand that businees is down and big chain stores need to add revenue but this is awful. When does it end? How much money does Wal-Mart and Target need?
Think about the employees that have to work just so you can buy shiny little things to make your life more tolerable.
Personally I'll not be darkening the door of any store today.

Anonymous said...

its welfare friday all over again

Anonymous said...

At some point I hope this midnight madness stops. As an employee at one of these stores, It's not an enjoyable Thanksgiving. I don't get to see family or friends, Much less enjoy this day of thanks. I have to sleep this afternoon to be ready for a 10pm shift... So Thanks to everyone who supports this farce....and maybe try to be considerate and patient to all of those working tonight...

Anonymous said...

While the employees have their Thanksgiving interrupted, I'm sure the CEOs of these companies won't dare have their Thanksgiving interrupted!

Anonymous said...

I actually find the greed of retailers disgusting. There lack of caring about employees enjoying a holiday with their family while they are enjoying the day is shameful. There is plenty of time for big sales and there are things like "cyber" Monday for people to shop on line and get discounts. I also find the people flocking to stores at these hours incredible and they need to get a life. Is saving a few dollars really that much more important than being with family and friends on a major holiday. Think about it, outside of Christmas and Easter, there is no other holiday in this country where retailers will not be open for business. I understand essential people working a holiday like police, fireman , nurses etc but retailers just tick me off with this nonsense.

Anonymous said...

What time does Eastland open

Anonymous said...

"Everybody knows there's no better way to honor the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ than to buy some guns or racing crap."

Black Friday, which occurs after the holiday of Thanksgiving, has nothing to do with Jesus or Christmas, which is celebrated as the Lord's birthday... Thanksgiving is about a meager feast between colonial settlers and Native Americans...