Nov 19, 2008

Retailers can’t wait for Black FridayBy Michael PearsonAJC.com

Predawn Black Friday shopping? Phhft.

Midnight’s where it’s at this year.

Faced with a skittish consumer worried about the economy and still fearing the return of sky-high gas prices, some metro Atlanta malls and standalone retailers aren’t wasting a minute to entice reluctant Christmas shoppers through their doors.

For the first time, North Carolina-based Tanger Factory Outlet Centers is opening all its centers at midnight on Black Friday, including locations in Commerce and Locust Grove. Disney plans on opening half its 200 stores nationwide at midnight, some at malls that won’t otherwise be open, such as Town Center mall in Kennesaw. Many KB Toy stores will be up and running in the wee-est of the wee hours, too.

Among malls, North Point Mall in Alpharetta and the discount-oriented Discover Mills mall in Lawrenceville will be open at midnight.

Once there, and at other Simon malls later in the day, they’ll find new “rejuvenation stations” installed just for the holidays. The rest stops feature big-screen TVs, comfy seats, free Wi-Fi, beverages and even concierges in some locations to help keep shoppers going through the long night.

Other retailers are giving away door prizes to early shoppers, all in reaction to economic conditions that analysts say will turn the cheery —- and impressionable —- holiday shopper of Christmas past into a steely-eyed bargain hunter.

“This year, consumers are on a budget, and they mean it,” said National Retail Federation spokeswoman Ellen Davis.

Sales predictions range from downright dire to the modestly glum, and retailers are feeling the pressure, said Candace Collett, a principal with WSL Strategic Retail, a consulting firm.

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