Shoppers angling to be first at the malls the day after Thanksgiving will have to set their alarm clocks even earlier this year.
At least four Denver-area shopping centers have bumped up their day-after-Thanksgiving opening times in an effort to add more hours to what has become one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
The Outlets at Castle Rock is scrapping its traditional 8 a.m. post-Thanksgiving opening in favor of a 5 a.m. kickoff.
Some merchants in the center had previously opened earlier than the rest of the center. Strong response to those stores convinced the center’s management to make the early opening a centerwide event, said marketing director Alisa Bivins.
Park Meadows mall also has opened at 8 a.m. each of its last 10 years. This year the Douglas County shopping center will open at 6 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving.
“If you don’t open till 8, the customer goes somewhere else,” said Pam Schenck, Park Meadows’ general manager
Southwest Plaza Mall, owned by Park Meadows owner General Growth Properties, has also shifted its opening time to 6 a.m., and a majority of merchants at the Aurora Town Center, owned by Simon Property Group, will open at 5 a.m., an hour earlier than last year.
Westminster Mall will open at 7 a.m., while Cherry Creek and FlatIron Crossing malls will open at 8 a.m.
Anchor stores and some merchants within all centers have the option of opening earlier, but all are required to be open in time for the centerwide openings.
The extra-early openings at some malls put them in the company of big-box retailers who were traditionally the early birds. Stores such as Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy began offering doorbuster discounts to attract shoppers before they made their way to the malls.
Several centers in other parts of the country, including some owned by General Growth Properties and Simon Property Group, will open at midnight.
So far, no Denver-area shopping centers have chosen to open quite that early. But retail-industry experts say it may be a matter of time before more follow suit.
“There’s no question about it, retailers are looking to stretch the holiday as much as they can,” said Marshal Cohen, chief analyst for the NPD Group, which tracks consumer attitudes and shopping habits. “They’re starting the holidays earlier and keeping open longer to make it as convenient as possible for consumers to spend money.”
The National Retail Federation is predicting that holiday retail sales will rise 5 percent over last year, to $457.4 billion. In 2005, holiday sales gained 6.1 percent, totalingT $435.6 billion.
Retail analyst Britt Beemer predicts that retailers will be more aggressive and promotional in their pricing this year. As a result, retailers’ profits may take a hit.
Staff writer Kristi Arellano can be reached at 303-954-1902 or karellano@denverpost.com.
