Brace yourselves. The holiday shopping season officially begins … today?
Or maybe tomorrow. Or maybe a couple weeks ago, as many of the big retailers dangled more pre-Thanksgiving discounts this year.
Whichever, it's here. A few ambitious chains are opening to shoppers today; many others will unlock their doors tonight at midnight; and local mom-and-pop stores are offering sales over this long weekend, too.
Here, we round up everything you'll need to know:
• A long list of some of the hottest deals offered in up to 700 pages of ads in today's Arizona Daily Star.
• Details of who's open when in Tucson.
• Sales and promotions at many locally owned stores.
• Tips for shoppers.
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THE MIDNIGHT RUSH
Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Road, and Park Place, 5870 E. Broadway, will open tonight at midnight, the first year they've done so on Thanksgiving, said Darcy Shippey, senior marketing manager for both malls.
At least 15 stores in Park Place Mall and 31 stores in Tucson Mall will open at 12 a.m. Several food court restaurants will also be open at Park Place.
Both malls will fully open at 6 a.m. Friday.
At least 16 retail stores and Panda Express will open tonight at midnight at Foothills Mall, 7401 N. La Cholla Blvd.
Foothills Mall has had midnight openings for three years, with more stores participating every year, said Mary Wallace, the mall's marketing coordinator.
Tucson and Park Place malls decided to go ahead with the midnight openings after so many tenants requested it, Shippey said.
Traffic is already up at both malls heading into the season. Tucson Mall's traffic counters tallied a 12 percent increase in visitors in October, Shippey said. "I do believe we're recovering from a recession and that the malls will perform better during the holiday," she said.
AN EVEN EARLIER START ...
Hold the turkey: Kmart, Sears, Walmart, Toys "R" Us, Old Navy and Michael's are open at varying times today.
OR, IF YOU SLEEP IN ...
La Encantada Mall, 2905 E. Skyline Drive, opens at 10 a.m. Friday.
The deals
Some highlights from today's ad inserts in the Star:
• Bed Bath & Beyond, opens 5 a.m. Friday: 20 percent off entire purchase when you shop between 5 and 10 a.m.
• Best Buy, opens 5 a.m. Friday: $99 Nook Wi-Fi eReader; $699 Panasonic 50'' Class Plasma HDTV; $59.99 Toshiba Blu-ray Disc Player.
• Dick's Sporting Goods, opens 5 a.m. Friday. These deals are through 2 p.m.: $100 off all sole treadmills and ellipticals; Buy one, get one 50 percent off, entire stock of ammunition.
• GameStop, opens 5 a.m. Friday. These deals are through noon: $299 PlayStation 3 160GB console bundle with games God of War I, II and II; $199 Nintendo Wii system bundle with games Just Dance, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort.
• The Home Depot, opens 5 a.m. Friday: $249 Maytag washer or electric dryer; $28.88 Ridgid 16-gallon wet/dry vacuum.
• JCPenney, opens 4 a.m. Friday. These deals are through 1 p.m.: $29.99 women's boots; $38.88 Protocol 8-piece luggage set.
• Kohl's, opens 3 a.m. Friday. These deals are though 1 p.m.: 50 percent off entire stock of toys; 15 percent off entire stock of fine fragrances.
• Lowe's, opens 6 a.m. Friday: $99 DEWALT 18-volt NiCd Compact Cordless Drill/Driver; $199 Char-Griller Duo Gas and Charcoal Drill.
• Macy's, opens 4 a.m. Friday. These deals are through 1 p.m.: 20 percent off women's and girls' coats; 60 percent off all 24-piece bedroom ensembles.
• Michaels, open today 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and starting at 6 a.m. Friday: 30 percent off purchases made Thanksgiving Day; 60 percent wall frames.
• Office Depot, opens 6 a.m. Friday.: $29.99 Canon Pixma Wireless All-in-One inkjet printer, scanner and copier; $99 LG 20-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor.
• OfficeMax, opens 7 a.m. Friday: $49.99 Hitachi X-Series 1 TB desktop hard drive.
• Old Navy, open today and at midnight Friday, with hours varying by location. These deals are for Friday: $10 for all kids and toddler jeans; $15 for all adult jeans; $15 for adult sweaters.
• Sears, open today and at 4 a.m. Friday. These deals are from 4 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday: 70 percent off all gold jewelry; $699 Beaumont 8-foot pool table with pub table and stool set; $599 Kenmore washer and dryer.
• Sports Authority, opens 5 a.m. Friday: 50 percent off entire stock of men's, women's and kids' footwear; $199 Bodyfit 710 Deluxe Indoor Cycling Bike.
• Sportsman's Warehouse, opens 6 a.m. Friday: $79.99 Kelty Grand Mesa 2 tent; $199 Garmin Dakota 20 GPS.
• Staples, opens 6 a.m. Friday. These deals are through 12 p.m.: 30 percent off all regular priced chairs, furniture and lamps; $399 HP laptop with AMD II Dual-Core P340 Processor.
Target, opens 4 a.m. Friday: $10 gift card when you spend $100 or more in stores Friday between 4 and 10 a.m.; $33 Oster 700-watt stainless steel microwave oven; $59 Casio CTK720 keyboard; $199 4GB Xbox 360 game system.
• Toys "R" Us, opens 10 p.m. today. These deals are through 1 p.m. Friday: $19.99 LeapFrog ClickStart; My First Computer; 33 percent off LEGO construction sets; $34.99 Fancy Nancy 18'' doll and book combo. And, these deals are 5 a.m. through 1 p.m. Friday: $14.99 Totally Me! Airbrush Nail Bar; 19.99 Dream Dazzlers Fabulous Dress Up Trunk; $12.49 New Bright Radio Control Cars.
• Walmart, open overnight into Friday. These deals start at 12 a.m. Friday: $5 pullovers or fleece jackets; $9 men's Wrangler jeans or shirt jackets; $88 Power Wheels Jeep Ride On; $24 Thirty-piece kitchenware set; $36 Shark Steam Mop.
Walmart's electronics doorbusters are 5 to 11 a.m. Friday, including: $198 eMachines 15.6-inch Laptop; $225 8GB iPod touch with bonus $50 Walmart gift card; $199 Nikon L110 long-zoom digital camera; $898 Samsung 46-inch LED HDTV.
BUYING LOCAL
Tucson businesses have been pushing "Buy Local" efforts on Black Friday for the past several years with appeals to both shoppers' purse and heartstrings.
Shopping local is not only a more pleasant experience than muscling through a big-box store on Black Friday, it's also better for the hometown economy, says Lisette DeMars, Tucson membership coordinator for Local First Arizona.
Local First Arizona is a nonprofit organization that promotes local businesses. It has compiled a number of Tucson-based stores with Black Friday discounts at www.localfirstaz.org
"If you want to take advantage of a crazy doorbuster that's fine. We just want people to be conscientious," DeMars said.
For example, if you hit up a Target doorbuster sale for a cheap television, maybe eat at a local restaurant that night, she suggested.
Deals from Local First Arizona INCLUDE:
Lotus Massage Wellness Center, 2850 E. Grant Road: 20 percent off gift certificates.
A Children's House of Books, 2624 N. First Ave.: Buy two books, get one free throughout the week.
Deco: Art for Living, 2612 E. Broadway: 20 percent off aprons and clothing.
Desk Couture, 100 N. Stone Ave. Ste. 112: $5 off any purchase of $30 or more.
Bohemia: An Artisans Emporium, 2920 E. Broadway: 20 percent to 40 percent off most items in the store.
SOHO Hair Studio, 439 N. Sixth Ave.: Buy one, get one free on all nail services for new clients.
Maynards Market & Kitchen, 400 N. Toole Ave.: 20 percent off all local products.
Perri Jewelers, 13 N. Stone Ave.: Free jewelry inspections and cleaning.
Mrs. Tiggy Winkle's Toys, 4811 E. Grant Road: 10 percent off gift certificates.
Black Friday on Fourth Ave.
Also, the North Fourth Avenue Merchants Association is hosting its second annual Black Friday sale with more than 20 stores and restaurants participating, such as:
Desert Vintage, 636 N. Fourth Ave.: 10 percent off all merchandise.
Antigone Books, 411 N. Fourth Ave.: 20 percent discount on up to three items.
World Wide Wrappers, 500 N. Fourth Ave.: 15 percent off any purchase.
Creative Ventures, 522 N. Fourth Ave.: 15 percent off any purchase.
Pop Cycle, 422 N. Fourth Ave.: 20 percent off purchases of $20 or more, plus free gift wrapping.
Kanella's, 300 N. Fourth Ave.: 25 percent off all merchandise.
Razorz Edge, 427 N. Fourth Ave.: Additional 50 percent off all clearance merchandise.
Several eateries are also offering discounts throughout the day.
For more sales go online to www.fourthavenue.org
Have a game plan
Think ahead: Plot your expedition to the retail jungle. Read the ads. Make a list of must-have items, where you will find them and what order you'll go looking for them. Prioritize.
Watch the clock: Many Black Friday sales will expire by mid-morning or early afternoon.
Supplies are limited for doorbusters: Many of the big-ticket items like flat-screen TVs and washer/dryers are actually in short supply. So there may be great deals on the pricier merchandise, but only four or five of a particular high-demand item in stock. The ads usually list how many of each doorbuster product are in each store, but in tiny font, so read carefully and be prepared to line up early.
Research products: There are plenty of great deals on potentially terrible products. Read reviews at sites like www.consumerreports.org
Make sure you're getting a bargain: Compare prices with sites like www.bizrate.com and www.pricegrabber.com
Check store return policies: Make sure you know how long you have to return an item, and any other stipulations there may be, and always ask for a gift receipt.
Take a rest: Tucson Mall's center court will have a special rest area for seniors. Designed to be like a living room in the middle of the mall, it's being provided by CareMore Health Plan through December.
Have fun: Soak up the atmosphere, enjoy the sport of it and don't take things too seriously.
Contact reporter Alex Dalenberg at adalenberg@azstarnet.com or 807-8429.