Black Friday shopping: The best time to brave the crowds in Fresno and how to avoid them
The holiday shopping season is upon us.
Yes, Thursday is Thanksgiving, but it’s also the start of the of the Black Friday weekend shopping rush that stretches through Cyber Monday. In fact, Black Friday deals started at some stores last week – or even earlier.
More than 165 million people are expected to shop over the five-day Black Friday period, according to the National Retail Federation. Shoppers are expected to spend more than last year, with retail sales in November and December rising between 3.8% and 4.2%, for a total of between $727.9 billion and $730.7 billion, according to the NRF’s forecast.
Black Friday in Fresno is not the chaotic scene of years past. You won’t find hundreds upon hundreds of people lined up and shivering in the dark for a 4 a.m. opening at the River Park Best Buy, for example.
A variety of factors have taken the punch out of the day, leading to a smaller and generally more low-key scene (including that most low-key of all scenes happening in living rooms as people shop online in their PJs).
As for how to get the deals, here’s what’s happening when and where in the Fresno area, whether online or in stores. Keep reading for a list of Black Friday store opening times.
Thanksgiving Day
The creep of earlier opening times into Thanksgiving Day has mostly stalled. The earliest big-box retailer in Fresno, JCPenney, opens at 2 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, same as last year.
Most other big-box stores like Target and Best Buy open at 5 p.m. Thursday. Fashion Fair opens at 6 p.m., along with many Fig Garden Village stores.
You can still expect people to line up for these store openings. The diehards will have lined up hours in advance to get a voucher for the doorbuster deals on limited items, like the 65-inch Phillips 4K Android smart TV on sale at Walmart for $278.
And there will be hot spots mobbed with shoppers, like the JCPenney shoe department with its $19.99 boots, and Victoria’s Secret stores.
However, as so many stores open at different times, the crowds will be spread out. And they won’t be open all night, with most stores closing at midnight and reopening early Friday morning.
Black Friday
Friday is still expected to be the busiest day of Black Friday weekend. Up to 114.6 million people could shop that day, compared with up to 39.6 million on Thanksgiving, according to information released by the NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
The malls all open early on Friday. Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis and Fashion Fair both open at 6 a.m. that day. Fig Garden Village is scheduled to open at 8 a.m., though some stores may open earlier or later and River Park stores open at a smattering of times starting with Bath & Body Works at 5:30 a.m.
Certain categories of merchandise are expected to have better deals on Friday, said Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst with DealNews.com, a website that tracks deals in store and online.
“This Black Friday we are expecting things like TVs and laptops to be really big, and also shoes,” she said. “Weirdly, clothing is good on Thanksgiving and shoes are good Black Friday.”
You don’t have to deal with crowds to get the deals. In years past, retailers really wanted to lure customers into brick-and-mortar stores in hopes that they’d buy other things while they’re there. But that’s changing, and now most retailers are offering the same deals online Friday too, she said.
You can compare deals in the ads in The Fresno Bee’s Thanksgiving Day paper. You can also go high tech and set up email alerts for certain products at DealNews.com, filtering by price range, store and brands.
Small Business Saturday
Dubbed Small Business Saturday, this is a also busy day, especially for locally owned stores.
Though not nearly as busy as Black Friday, it draws shoppers who specifically want to support small or local retailers. About 76% of people shopping that day said in an NRF survey that they’re doing so specifically to support Small Business Saturday.
You’ll likely see the #shopsmall hashtag popping up on social media.
Stores in places like Old Town Clovis will be busy.
One retailer, bookseller Petunia’s Place at Palm and Bullard avenues, is celebrating its expansion in tandem with Small Business Saturday. Its taking over the space next door as extra sales floor space and a story time spot.
A Vegan Fresno Small Business Saturday event happens from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Tower Blendz, 802 E. Olive Ave. It will feature food from Plant Slayer and shopping with All Love Co. and other vendors.
Cyber Monday
This was the “holiday” created back when shopping online was a new concept and people had to be encouraged to do it.
There’s plenty of good deals online on this day, said Ramhold of DealNews.com.
Some of them are different than Black Friday deals. But some aren’t.
So if you missed out on something on Friday, search for it Monday, she said.
One upside of Cyber Monday?
“Because it is very much an online holiday, you don’t have to worry about stock selling out quickly,” Ramhold said. “It just seems like on Cyber Monday, stores have more stock in general.”
Store opening times
Ann Taylor LOFT 9 a.m. Friday
Bed Bath & Beyond, 5 p.m. to midnight Thursday, reopening 6 a.m. Friday
Big Lots: 7 a.m. to midnight Thursday, reopening 6 a.m. Friday
Best Buy, 5 p.m. Thursday until to 1 a.m. Friday, reopening at 8 a.m. Friday
Burlington 9 a.m. Friday
Chico’s 7 a.m. Friday
Cost Plus World Market 7 a.m. Friday
Costco 9 a.m. Friday
Dick’s Sporting Goods, opens at 5 p.m. Thursday to 2 a.m. Friday, reopens at 6 a.m. Friday
DSW 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, reopen at 7 a.m. Friday
Fashion Fair 6 p.m. to midnight Thursday, reopen 6 a.m. Friday
Fig Garden Village 6 p.m. to midnight Thursday, reopen 8 a.m. Friday
Five Below 6 p.m. Thursday to midnight, 9 a.m. Friday
Guitar Center 7 a.m. Friday
H&M opens right after midnight Thursday night/Friday morning
Hobby Lobby 8 a.m. Friday
HomeGoods 6 a.m. Friday
JCPenney 2 p.m. Thursday, staying open until 10 p.m., Friday
JOANN Fabric and Craft Stores, 6 a.m. Friday
Kohl’s opens at 5 p.m. Thursday, staying open until midnight Friday night
Macy’s 5 p.m. Thursday until 2 a.m. Friday, reopening 6 a.m.
Marshalls 6 a.m. Friday
Michaels 6 p.m. to midnight Thursday, reopen 7 a.m. Friday
Nordstrom Rack 8 a.m. Friday
Old Navy 3 p.m. to midnight Thursday, reopen 7 a.m. Friday
REI closed on Thanksgiving and Black Friday
River Park openings vary by store, some national tenants opening at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. Thursday
Ross Stores 6:30 p.m. until midnight, 7 a.m. Friday
Sears 6 p.m. to midnight Thursday, reopen 5 a.m. Friday
Sierra Vista Mall 6 a.m. Friday
Sportsman’s Warehouse 6 a.m. Friday
Stein Mart 7 a.m. Friday
Sur La Table 6 a.m. Friday
Target 5 p.m. Thursday to 1 a.m. Friday, reopening 7 a.m. Friday
TJ Maxx 8:30 a.m. Friday
Victoria’s Secret, All stores open at 6 p.m. Thursday, hours vary by location after, with River Park store open 24 hours through Friday
Walmart deals start at 6 p.m. Thursday
This story was originally published November 24, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
