Last year, Macy’s, one of shopping’s bellwethers, opened at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving. That prompted several large retailers to open a bit earlier. And so it goes in the world of selling. And there’s no whimsy about it. The science of money spending indicates that the retailers who aren’t careful about when they open could lose substantial amounts to competitors.
According to the researchers, here is what you can expect:
The word from the gurus is that most stores will hold off until at least 5 p.m. to allow potential customers to stow the turkey (and do the dishes). Some folks who are tired of the “holiday creep” may even reward those such as Costco and Nordstrom, which have opted to close on Thanksgiving.
If you think “frozen” refers only to the weather this year, be aware that the popular animated Disney feature this year is fueling all kinds of products that will top the list of many a small fry. Shortages may occur. (Remember the Cabbage Patch and Tickle-Me Elmo.)
Target, for instance, has gained exclusive rights to 60 Frozen items. And there is a widely available Snow Glow Elsa, complete with a gadget that plays some of the movie’s top tunes, including “Let It Go.”
Even so, the retail experts say there are not likely to be big lines or crazy antics related to Frozen items. No must-have toy has hit the stores since the 2009 craze for Zhu Zhu Pets. Today’s children have become attached to video games and the erstwhile adult toys such as iPad.
The shift in kiddy preferences has such tech sites as Twitter, Facebook, back-in-stock apps and Black Friday forums practically dormant and waiting for anxious parents and grandparents to show up eager to know where they can find the newest toys.
Brick-and-mortar retailers have marshaled new delivery options to offset the competition from online sales. Many will ship purchases direct to a customer’s address, more conveniently than an online source can get things through their fulfillment centers miles away from the customer. Target, Walmart, Macy’s and Amazon all are testing same-day delivery in certain markets. Many retailers also are bringing the competition home, allowing customers to buy online and pick up at the store.
Retailers, Target among them, are offering free shipping through Dec. 20, but some outlets are going in the opposite direction. Amazon, for instance, has raised its free shipping threshold to $35, where it used to be $25. Walmart officials are watching warily, but think Target will lose money on its free shipping police and they are not likely to follow suit. Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Reebok will stick with free shipping policies they established a long time ago. Freeshippingday.com will offer free shipping from more than 1,000 merchants on Dec. 18.
Red flags are up in all areas of commerce as the memories of recent data breaches continue to reverberate. CreditCards.com predicts that 45 percent of American shoppers will avoid stores such as Target and Home Depot because of drastic data breaches in the past year.
Price matching is becoming more common among retailers as competition heats up. Fewer than 5 percent of shoppers actually press for a price match, especially if the price difference is not substantial enough to warrant the inconvenience. Many retailers suspend price match policies during the mania of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
To accommodate shoppers, some retailers such as Target and Best Buy are creating their own Wish List apps. The lists include more holiday gifts in certain dollar amounts to facilitate shopping. Wishybox and Wishlistr and several other apps also appeal to shoppers with specific items in mind.