Every year it seems like Black Friday creeps closer and closer to Thanksgiving dinner. But why?
Andy Ellen, the president and general counsel of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association, says the retail shopping push further into Thanksgiving Day is inevitable.
“You’re in a very competitive global economy at the moment, and just as every remote online retailer is operating 24/7, (local) retailers ... are competing with them as well,” Ellen said.
But, Ellen said, retailers aren’t the only businesses open on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
“I think also we have the scenario that doesn’t get the same scrutiny of the movie theater, or the bowling alley, or grocery stores that are open as well,” he said.
Ellen says the association has been promoting the hashtag #ShopNorthCarolina to encourage people to shop in brick and mortar stores in their community, even if it’s a chain store.
Online vendors, he says, don’t contribute as much to the economy through taxes, and don’t help as much with general community building or even with things like relief efforts when natural disasters strike.
This year in Charlotte, the Thanksgiving Day shopping trend continues.
Best Buy, Dollar General, Macy’s and Walmart store locations will be open on Thanksgiving, starting with Best Buy at 5 p.m. and Walmart at 6 p.m.
Malls, outlets and shopping centers in the region will also be open throughout the weekend.
SouthPark Mall, Carolina Place Mall and Northlake Mall will open on Thursday at 5, 6 and 7 p.m., respectively.
Outlets like Concord Mills and Charlotte Premium Outlets will both open at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Smaller shopping centers across the region like Atherton Mill and Market in South End, Birkdale Village in Huntersville, Blakeney Shopping Center in south Charlotte, the Metropolitan in uptown, Phillips Place in South Park and Shoppes at University Place have hours that vary by store.
