Black Friday brings big business to local retailers

Area stores are turning on holiday music, decorating for Christmas and preparing for the holiday shopping season -- particularly Black Friday.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is known as the kick off of holiday shopping as crowds of shoppers wake up early, or stay up late, to score deep discounts on merchandise.

JCPenney in Cape Girardeau began the process of hiring about 50 seasonal employees in September, allowing enough time for them to be trained, according to store leader Sarah Grigaitis. Preparation for the store's Black Friday shopping is underway and merchandise is coming in daily, she said.

JCPenney will open at 8 p.m., Thanksgiving Day, and remain open until 9 p.m., Black Friday. The earlier opening is new to the store, Grigaitis said.

The store will offer doorbusters and honor different coupons throughout the day to keep customers coming in during the 25-straight hours JCPenney will be open, she said.

As far as money brought in on Black Friday, Grigaitis said one month of sales can be done in one day.

"Black Friday actually can be the same volume as the whole month of February," she said. "It's such an adrenaline rush."

Operations manager of Old Navy in Cape Girardeau, Anna Thiele, said the store always hires seasonal help for the holiday shopping season.

Employees will do crowd control when the doors open for the store's Black Friday deals at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, she said. The store will not close until 10 p.m. Black Friday.

Employees will count shoppers at the door, and as soon as the store reaches capacity, the gates will come down halfway, Thiele said. From then on, as customers leave the store, more will be allowed to go in. The store's strategy of crowd management has been used in years past, she said.

Because of deep discounts that will be offered the entire time Old Navy is open, Thiele said the store will not offer additional deals to customers throughout the day to keep them shopping.

Kmart assistant store manager Darren Neader said the store also hired about 50 additional employees, beginning near the middle of September, to help with the holiday shopping season.

This year, Kmart in Cape Girardeau will open at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving, and remain open until 11 p.m. Friday -- 41 straight hours.

"We've never actually tried this before," Neader said. The store closed last year for a few hours and later reopened.

Kmart will offer different door busters on Thanksgiving morning, Thanksgiving evening and Black Friday morning.

Low prices and great deals aside, in order for stores to be open Thanksgiving Day, employees have to work.

"It is difficult on the associates as far as that goes," and Kmart will work with employees to allow some time to spend with their families, Neader said.

Follow seMissourian Biz on Twitter for updates during Black Friday shopping, and use the hashtag #semoblackfriday while you're out shopping to share your best deals.

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Pertinent addresses:

200 N. Mall Entrance, Cape Girardeau, MO

207 N. Mall Entrance, Cape Girardeau, MO

11 S. Kingshighway St., Cape Girardeau, MO