Black Friday was once so frenzied that major retailers opened their doors a day early on Thanksgiving to satisfy the crowds hunting for doorbusters.
That Christmas shopping tradition took a major hit during the pandemic as stores decided to stay closed on the holiday and discouraged crowds. This week, malls and big-name stores like Target, Walmart and Best Buy will be closed again on turkey day but will open their doors early on Black Friday in hopes of drawing deal hunters.
Other pandemic-era pivots were the disappearances of pre-dawn hours and long lines that many shoppers have come to associate with Black Friday. Now, many customers shop online deals that last pretty much the entire holiday week and venture to stores on Black Friday for the experience as much as the savings.
"Stores are not open on Thanksgiving Day," said Lori Zumwinkle, the North America retail industry lead for consulting company Accenture. "They're leveraging their digital capabilities and pushing that to have consumers shop, and then on Black Friday, you are starting to see the bigger turnout, and people come into the stores, and that's when they are providing ... special promotions. 'Hey, you've got to come into the store for it,' or creating some fun and excitement."
According to Circana's annual holiday survey, most consumers planned to start their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving while 18% said they would begin on Black Friday and 82% said they would shop online.
Here's an idea of what Twin Cities stores will be open — or not — this Thanksgiving and Black Friday (though, as always, check your desired store's hours ahead of time just to be sure.
Major retailers
Most stores started their Black Friday promotions online this week if not earlier.
- Target: Closed on Thanksgiving. Open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday. Special deals for Target Circle members.
- Walmart: Closed on Thanksgiving. Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday. Special deals for Walmart+ members.
- Best Buy: Closed on Thanksgiving. Open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday. Special deals for My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members.
Malls
Of course, stores located within the Twin Cities' various shopping malls will have different holiday hours. But here's an idea of when to shop for the best deals in climate-controlled comfort.
