NEW YORK — For those who can’t wait, Thanksgiving Day is becoming more of an option to begin holiday gift buying, in between carving a turkey and diving into pumpkin pie.
While major toy retailers traditionally close their doors today, consumers can pick up a Barbie or two at Albertsons, which has partnered with Toys "R" Us, and Safeway, which has teamed with K-B Toys, as well as other supermarket chains that have recently aligned with major toy sellers.
For the first time, Sears, Roebuck and Co. — though closed on Thanksgiving — is giving online customers early access to Friday’s deals, allowing them to order on the Web today and then pick up the merchandise over the weekend.
Convenience store chain 7-Eleven has increasingly added more — and more upscale — holiday gifts to its stores, most of which are open 24 hours a day. This year, consumers can find digital cameras, hot toys like Mighty Beanz, DVDs and "Cat in the Hat" figurines.
Kmart will offer 70 percent off both jewelry and shoes.
"It is becoming more accepted to shop on Thanksgiving, and stores are fulfilling the need," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group in Charleston, S.C.
An increasing number of independent retailers in electronics and apparel have made Thanksgiving Day their season opener, and have had successes, Beemer said.
A recent survey by America’s Research Group of 1,000 women found that about 19 percent were interested in shopping on the holiday, up from about 11 percent five years ago, Beemer said. Men still show little interest, with less than 3 percent saying they were keen on buying gifts on Thanksgiving.
The nation’s retailers are more optimistic about holiday sales this year than in the past few years amid signs of an improving economy and rebounding consumer confidence. But consumers are still cautious, and stores fear customers will again postpone their shopping until prices drop.
While the Thanksgiving weekend is the traditional start to the shopping spree, it no longer is the busiest part of the season. In 2002, the busiest period was the last week before Christmas, accounting for 41 percent of holiday sales. That’s up dramatically from 34 percent in 2001 and far more than the Thanksgiving weekend, which accounted for 10.1 percent of 2002 holiday sales, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
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