It's not just Black Friday anymore

Stores across the country are preparing for Black Friday this week, and High Point is no exception.

But Black Friday, the biggest retail weekend of the year, is changing. What traditionally was just a Friday tradition has expanded outside that 24-hour period and trickled into Wednesday, Thanksgiving Day and the following Saturday - sometimes even further. In 2011, stores began opening at midnight on Thanksgiving Day. And the shoppers came. The earlier openings were so successful that some stores now plan to open at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving Day, said Jennifer Burton, a marketing professor at High Point University. 'It's not just Black Friday anymore,' she said. 'That's why you hear people calling it Black Thursday, or some people will call it Gray Thursday.' She said a majority of consumers don't enjoy camping out and the long lines that always accompanied Black Friday, so they have turned to online shopping. In fact, the National Retail Federation's 2014 holiday shopping forecast estimated that online shopping will increase by 8 to 11 percent this year. Either way, online or in store, Burton urges consumers to get a good idea of what an item should typically cost before looking at the sale prices. According to a Wall Street Journal article from November 2013, Burton said some stores increase retail prices steadily for a few weeks before Thanksgiving to create a reference point in consumer's minds. 'So, when they see stuff that's so much less than that, they're going to perceive that it's a bigger discount than it is, because retail prices have been going up,' she said. This is much more popular with big chain stores than local stores. Small businesses have to put up a big fight to compete with bigger stores on Friday, and many are having sales the whole week, leading up to what's now known as Small Business Saturday, which was created in 2010 by American Express. It's in the Bag! at 613 Burton Ave. is one of the stores that started its holiday sales early. Store owner Jennifer Holbrook said she wants to give her customers the sale prices that she would want if she walked into a boutique. Her holiday sale prices started Nov. 20 and will run through Small Business Saturday. She also started a week ahead of time last year. 'You just have to, being a small store,' she said. 'When I first opened, I tried to do the regular Black Friday thing, but everybody is at all the big huge corporations that advertise and open up at 3 in the morning and all that. I'm not going to do that.' In preparation for the week, Holbrook is stocking up on store favorites, which include jewelry, scarves and unique trinkets. She will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. 'When they (the public) do spend money locally, a lot more money goes back into the economy,' she said. 'I think that's really important for people to realize how big an impact it makes.' Employees at Meg's, a family-owned business at 112 W. Lexington Ave., also know this to be true. Owner Tami Hendrix said High Point's local stores boost each other and support one another. Meg's is a common local destination for monogrammable gifts, from Christmas ornaments to towels to boot cuffs. For six years, the store has participated in Black Friday sales. This year will be slightly different. 'This year feels like it's highlighted more - maybe it's because we're moving,' Hendrix said. 'We will have more space for displaying the different products and bringing in new (items). We've been supported unbelievably well by our customers, but this time it feels like there's something real magical. There's stardust around it.' Meg's will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The sales throughout that time will be highlighted by the store's Gift-a-Day program, which will start Black Friday and last until Dec. 23. Customers can come into the store and register daily to win a prize, which will be announced on their Facebook page. 'I think it's important for people to know they can come and work with us on something and then we're going to take it from there and give them an awesome gift to come pick up,' Hendrix said. 'I think, generally, we have great small businesses in High Point.' Just a minute down the street from Meg's, at 1109 N. Main St., is Wright Choice, an upscale boutique that opened in 2009 with Gretchen Wright as the store owner. The store will open its doors Friday and Saturday, but will be closed on Thanksgiving. 'We prefer to let people be with their families and enjoy the holiday,' Wright said. The store hasn't participated in Small Business Saturday much in the past, but will be more active with its sales this year, she said. The store will be open Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will open again at 8 a.m. Saturday. Like many stores, Wright Choices will have special sales and giveaways, including door prizes. Wright said they will give out gift cards for those who spend a specific amount on the store's items, the most popular of which include jewelry, cashmere, stone bangles and monogrammed Grateful Bags. They also will have a limited delivery option service, she said. Leading up to Thanksgiving, the store also is taking 20 percent off the price of full outfits. Since 2005, Black Friday has been the No. 1 day for retail sales, with Small Business Saturday trailing not far behind. High Point residents will shop this week alongside the rest of the country - whether for the tradition, discounts or social aspect - in the search for the perfect gifts and deals for friends and family. SButzer@hpe.com | 888-3617 | @HPEStephanie

Black Friday by the numbers * 92.1 million customers shopped on Black Friday in 2013 * 44.8 million customers shopped on Thanksgiving in 2013 * The National Retail Federation's holiday forecast estimates a retail sale increase of 4.1 percent over the previous year. In 2013, it was 3.1 percent. * The NRF estimates online shopping will increase by 8 to 11 percent this year.

Source: National Retail Federation