WEDNESDAY SPECIAL EDITION
The biggest paper of the year is arriving early!
Stuffed with savings including all the toy books, sales, coupons and inserts you need this busy holiday season. Pick-up a copy after noon Wednesday, Nov. 25.
For a complete list of stores and a map of where to buy the newspaper earlier, visit www.journal-news.com/findthepaper
Holiday shoppers in northern Cincinnati have more options to choose from due to this year’s openings of the Liberty Center development, Cabela’s Inc. and new stores at Middletown’s Towne Mall Galleria.
As local malls and shopping centers gear up for the holiday shopping surge that will hit its stride next week, nearly all major big-box retailers kept their opening times the same as last year, with most opening at or around 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving evening. J.C. Penney was an exception, moving up its opening time by two hours to 3 p.m. Thanksgiving afternoon.
Cincinnati Premium Outlets in Monroe will stick to the same hours as last year, opening at 6 p.m. Thursday and staying open overnight until 10 p.m. Friday, said Les Morris, spokesman for owner Simon Property Group. Simon Property has found that keeping its outlet centers open all night attracts shoppers with energy to seek deals early that might not want to watch football, nap or help themselves to a second round at dinnertime Thursday, Morris said.
“I think it speaks to the demand out there for value shopping at our properties like Cincinnati Premium Outlets,” Morris said. “It’s a festive occasion.”
Doomsday predictions by defenders of the sanctity of the Thanksgiving afternoon that all retailers would simply throw open their doors during the pre-dawn hours of the holiday morning have not come true — perhaps because retailers are discovering that opening earlier doesn’t translate into higher sales.
“People don’t have extra money to spend just because stores are open longer,” said Dave Duebber, general manager of the Dayton Mall. “And it does cost these stores money to be open on a holiday.”
And although some retailers will stay open overnight Thursday into Friday, Duebber said traffic slows down considerably in his mall after 1 a.m. and starts picking up around 6 a.m. Friday.
“I think we’ve seen that 6 a.m. is the earliest shoppers are willing to come out” in large numbers on Black Friday, Duebber said.
But that doesn’t mean they’re not willing to start their holiday shopping early. According to the National Retail Federation’s Consumer Holiday Spending Survey, 56.6 percent of those celebrating the holidays had already started shopping by early November, up from 54.4 percent last year and up from the 49 percent who had started by this time in 2008, the first time NRF asked the question.
"Thanksgiving weekend shopping has evolved tremendously over the past few years and can no longer be seen as the 'start' of the holiday season, though there's no question it's still important to millions of holiday shoppers and retailers of all shapes and sizes," said Matthew Shay, president and chief executive officer of the retail business group, in a written statement. "There is a real sea change happening in retail when it comes to the how, when, where, and why of holiday shopping. Consumers today are looking for great prices and value-add promotions earlier than ever before, and retailers have answered these demands in several different ways already this holiday season."
Holiday sales in 2014 increased 4.1 percent over the previous year, according to the retail federation. This year, the federation expects sales in November and December to increase by a slightly lesser rate — 3.7 percent — to $630.5 billion. Another projection by global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield predicted this year’s holiday retail sales would match last year’s 4.1 percent increase.
Here’s a sample of holiday plans at Butler- and Warren County-area shopping centers:
• Liberty Center: Individual retailers have varying hours. Follow the center's website at www.liberty-center.com to keep up-to-date, said spokeswoman Jackie Reau. The approximately $350 million mixed office, retail and residential development located in Liberty Twp. on Liberty Way opened in October.
Anchor tenant Dick’s Sporting Goods will open at 6 p.m. Thursday until 2 a.m. Friday. Then, doors re-open again on Black Friday beginning at 5 a.m. until 10 p.m., according to the retailer.
On Thanksgiving and Black Friday, more than 200 Dick’s locations will offer the first 200 eligible customers each day a chance to win a $500 gift card. Customers will be given a code and the winner will be announced shortly after the store opens, according to the company.
These hours and giveaways are also true for Dick’s Sporting Goods stores at Bridgewater Falls in Fairfield Twp. and Deerfield Towne Center.
Dillard’s department store, another Liberty Center anchor, is closed Thanksgiving but opens from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, according to the Liberty Twp. store.
• Towne Mall Galleria: The Middletown mall on Towne Boulevard opens beginning at midnight Friday until 9 p.m. Friday; however, individual outside stores such as Elder-Beerman, Gabe's, Burlington and Sears will have separate hours, according to a security officer. Get more details about an arts and craft show on-site Friday and Saturday at the mall.
• The Dayton Mall: Hours start at 6 p.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. Friday. For every Dayton Mall gift card purchased between Nov. 27-29, the mall will donate $5 to one of four local nonprofit organizations of the shopper's choice.
• The Streets of West Chester: Each store and restaurant will operate their own hours, said Property Manager Rex Horan. While several new retailers were announced for the location off Union Centre Boulevard, there are no new openings until spring next year. Construction is underway on Bagger Dave's Burger Tavern, Topgolf and Main Event Entertainment, Horan said.
• Tri-County Mall: Opens 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day until 1 a.m. Friday morning. Every 10 minutes is a $100 gift card giveaway between 8 p.m. and midnight Thursday with a grand prize Michael Kors handbag from Macy's, said Natalia Yaacob, marketing coordinator.
Mall anchors Macy’s and Sears open early Thursday at 6 p.m., Yaacob said.
Tri-County in Springdale opens again at 7 a.m. Friday until 10 p.m. Shoppers can enter a drawing for free again Friday for $150 gift card giveaways every 10 minutes from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a grand prize necklace from Rogers Jewelers, she said.
• Cincinnati Premium Outlets: The Monroe shopping center opens 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and remains open until 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27. A complimentary shuttle starts at 5 p.m. Thursday until 10 p.m. on Friday to pick up and drop off shoppers at Miami Valley Gaming off Ohio 63.
• Bass Pro Shops: The Fairfield store specializing in outdoor sports gear has Thanksgiving Day hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Black Friday hours of 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to spokeswoman Katie Mitchell. Santa's Wonderland is in full swing including free crafts, games and free photos with Santa for children set in a Christmas village, Mitchell said.
• Cabela's: The new West Chester Twp. store is closed Thanksgiving, then opens for shoppers at 5 a.m. Friday until 10 p.m. Friday. Local store events include more than $15,000 in giveaways, according to spokeswoman Bonnie Bastian.
The first 600 customers ages 18 and older in line will be eligible to receive a mystery envelope containing information about their gift. All gifts will be distributed randomly and could include one of five Winchester bolt-action rifle combos, gift cards and more. Firearm winners will be required to complete a standard federal background check to take ownership.
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