Eager shoppers get a jump with stores open on Thanksgiving

AS MANY AMERICANS were polishing off a heaping helping of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce and watching the Eagles polish off the Cowboys, an eager Kim Reed was at Willow Grove Park Mall trying to beat the Black Friday rush.

"You feel like if you miss out [on Thanksgiving shopping], you're going to miss out on all the good deals," said Reed, an Abington resident, as she browsed the merchandise at Macy's with her 11-year-old daughter. "By [Black Friday] morning, a lot of stuff is already picked over from Thursday, so you're getting like the leftovers."

Reed was among hundreds of shoppers taking advantage of some stores inside the mall opening their doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, pushing "doorbuster" deals and major discounts.

About 25 million U.S. consumers were expected to shop yesterday, slightly down from last year, according to the National Retail Federation. About 95 million are projected to converge on stores today, the traditional kickoff to the holiday shopping season.

Sara Mason, 31, of Northeast Philly, finished an early meal with her family to get to the mall as it opened. Because she has to work today, Thanksgiving was her best chance to cross some items off her gift list.

"This is the only time I get a chance to get out," Mason said. "I just feel like the time's easier for me. Anybody who works in retail or has to be [at work] early in the morning, it works out a little bit better for you."

The mall's initial crowd was akin to a normal weeknight, but steadily increased as evening turned into night, with the parking lot outside Macy's swarming with cars by 7 p.m.

Not everybody, however, was interested in shopping. Rick Gheen parked himself in front of one of several TVs inside Macy's showing the Eagles, while his wife went her way. The 73-year-old retiree said he was there as a compromise, so that he could have today to himself.

"I'm not a shopper, I'm a buyer," Gheen said. "If I want something, I'll buy it and go home. I have been out on Black Friday when there was something I really wanted, but there's nothing - my computer's in good shape, we got a television that works - so let the rest of them have a whack at it."

While stores like Macy's, J.C. Penney, Walmart and a growing list of retailers opened their doors on Thanksgiving this year, many chains, such as Bloomingdale's, Burlington Coat Factory, Marshall's and Sam's Club, did not.

There has been a grassroots movement on the Internet to discourage stores from opening on the holiday, to allow employees to spend time with their family. Shoppers yesterday had mixed opinions about the trend.

"It's not traditional. It's supposed [to be for] family," said Candy Tardif, a Hatboro resident.

While Tardif said she normally stays "as far away as possible" from the crowds on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, she made an exception this year because her daughter, Amanda, needed an outfit for a school dance.

"She just needs this dress for the 5th of December," she said.