Some earlier store openings ahead of Black Friday only extend the most-anticipated shopping event of the year.
"We've just elongated Black Friday from something that starts at midnight to something that starts at 8 p.m.," said C. Britt Beemer, who operates a retail consulting and research firm based in Charleston, S.C.
"The new moniker I've heard for the first time is Black Thursday," said Anthony Liuzzo, Ph.D., a Wilkes University professor of business and economics who calculates an annual holiday shopping forecast.
Whether shoppers head out after Thanksgiving dinner or hold off until the predawn hours on Friday, a multitude of deals entice consumers to share in the shopping free-for-all.
"It will be mass hysteria," said Mr. Beemer, whose agency conducts regular surveys to forecast consumer behavior.
A survey released Wednesday by his firm predicts more than 43 percent of Americans will venture out to shop on Black Friday and about one-third of consumers have already gone online to look for Black Friday bargains.
Inserts and advertisements in this edition attest to the deals.
Best Buy advertises a Toshiba 40-inch LCD television for $180, down from $420; Hhgregg has a steel French-door refrigerator for $1,200, reduced from $2,000, and Kohl's promotes an 8-inch computer tablet for $90, after rebate, a savings of $110.
Sears has a washer and dryer set for $650 each, reduced from $1,410 apiece, and Target advertises an e-reader for $49, down from $100. Boscov's holds out its usual handbag and wallet promotion, with reductions of up to 75 percent, along with 60 percent off on some watches, Bon-Ton hawks a two-piece luggage set for $90, slashed from $280, and Macy's dangles a diamond bracelet for $399, down from $1,200.
"If you give consumers a deal, they will find it," Mr. Beemer said. "It's not all about electronics anymore. This is going to be a big furniture weekend. It will be a housewares and clothing weekend."
Only about 10 percent of holiday-season spending actually takes place on Black Friday weekend, Dr. Liuzzo said, and about 30 percent of seasonal spending occurs over the weekend prior to Christmas.
"The real action hasn't started yet and doesn't start until the second week of December," he said.
Consumers, though, like the shopping rivalry aspect Black Friday promotes and the feeling that the holiday season is under way.
"Each one wants to get a little bit of a leg up on the other guy," Dr. Liuzzo said. "It's not so much about doing Christmas shopping, it's competition against other consumers."
The International Council of Shopping Centers projects sales at malls and shopping centers will increase 2.5 percent for the season, compared to a 4 percent gain last year.
Dr. Liuzzo takes the middle ground, but sees a solid electronic-shopping season shaping up. "I think online sales will go up about 15 percent, whereas overall sales will only go up about 3 percent," he said.
Contact the writer: jhaggerty@timesshamrock.com