Black Friday arrives early for retailers large and small in Beaufort County
Walking through Tanger Outlet Center 1 on Monday afternoon in Bluffton, Kathleen Boyd strode past sale signs marking discounts and shoppers flocking to stores.
Like many of those shoppers, Boyd was getting her Black Friday shopping done early.
"I told my grandchildren, 'If you want something for Christmas, tell me today,'" said Boyd, 71, a Virginia resident who is visiting Hilton Head Island with her family for Thanksgiving. "I don't want to run into crowds on Friday."
Avoiding the Black Friday frenzy has become easier as retailers continue to offer sales earlier in the holiday shopping season.
In addition to extending hours, Beaufort County stores this year are promoting discounts well before Black Friday.
Bargains at big-box retailers, such as Walmart, started last week and run through Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving that's touted as the best online shopping day of the year.
Local businesses are also in on the act.
For the first time, Gigi's Boutique in Old Town Bluffton has a weeklong sale.
Store manager Anna Pepper Hewett said she hopes to attract customers who will spend Friday at major chains.
"Friday is typically a big-box day," she said. "If (customers) don't make it in here because they are doing that, then maybe they'll visit us earlier in the week."
'THE SHOPPING SEASON STARTS ON HALLOWEEN'
Pumpkins were still on porches this year when some stores at the Tanger Outlets started Christmas sales.
The outlets also extended weekend hours in November for shoppers looking to preempt the Black Friday crowd.
"We have seen shoppers start (Christmas shopping) earlier each year," said the outlets' manager, LaDonna Shamlou.
She added that the outlets will open at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, four hours earlier than in 2013.
"We've had so many people lining up to get in here early in the past few years," she said. "I think they are finishing dinner and ready to move on to shopping with their families -- it's become a tradition."
Other large area retailers started advertising their pre-Black Friday deals earlier this month.
Best Buy in Bluffton gave customers a taste of Black Friday with discounts last weekend.
Kmart in Beaufort launched sales Monday, with doorbusters beginning at 6 a.m. Thursday, according to general manager Alvin Squirewell.
At Walmart, Black Friday arrived last week.
The retail giant is offering 10 days of "Black Friday prices before Black Friday," according to its website.
Why the rush to start?
Holiday sales account for as much as 30 percent of a store's annual take, according to the National Retail Foundation.
Retailers who want to get their share -- or more -- of the spending spree have to stand out from their competitors by being first to offer good deals, said Britt Beemer, CEO of America's Research Group, a Summerville-based consumer-behavior research firm.
"Everybody is trying to get in every sale they can to keep consumers coming in the door," he said. "To some degree, the shopping season now starts on Halloween."
But when will shoppers find the best bargains?
That's still on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, he said.
"If you're looking to buy a big item -- a TV or a laptop -- you'll get a much better price if you wait until Black Friday," he said. "Assuming you want to wait in line."
At Tanger 1 on Monday, customer Darla Perry said she planned to brave lines on Thursday to shop for her daughters, ages 4 and 9.
"You've got to get there early or you'll miss the sales," she said. "They don't last long."
Follow reporter Dan Burley at twitter.com/IPBG_Dan.
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- Shoppers take advantage of Black Friday deals in Beaufort County , Nov. 29, 2014
This story was originally published November 24, 2014 at 7:11 PM with the headline "Black Friday arrives early for retailers large and small in Beaufort County."