Aha! Radio Shack has you covered.
In what company officials say is a test, Radio Shack stores in Tucson and other larger markets in the western United States will be open on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26) with pre-Black Friday specials.
  
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The plan is for stores to be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. but Dominguez suggests shoppers call ahead to their local store, just to make sure. Sales deals and an open store locator are online at www.radioshack.com/thanksgiving.
“The scheduling for Thanksgiving was voluntary for our sales associates,” she said. “And we will be among several other national retailers that are open that day.”
In Southern Arizona, Radio Shack says it plans to have open nine stores in Tucson, and one each in Marana, Oro Valley, Green Valley, Sierra Vista, Nogales and Douglas.
Last year, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Circuit City and several Best Buy locations—but none in Tucson—were open Thanksgiving Day promoting specials comparable to what was available the following day, called Black Friday because traditionally it was supposed to be the day retailers started turning a profit—operating in the black—each year.
This year, Wal-Mart and Kmart are once again planning to be open on Thanksgiving as are the drugstore chains of Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy. A Best Buy representative said it was not planning on having any of its stores open this Thanksgiving. And Circuit City has gone out of business.
Regardless of how people feel about the idea of retailers staying open on the holiday, Soyeon Shim, a professor and director of the School of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Arizona, believes it could become a new norm as more shoppers put down the forks and knives and break out the debit and credit cards.
“Shoppers and consumers are socialized by a number of factors, and if they are socialized by one or two major retailers, they will expect this from others as well,” Shim said. “While shoppers may not be there right away, once they learn based on ‘shopper socialization’ they will be there tomorrow. That’s what has happened to online shopping. Everybody had a doubt but today’s consumers are now absolutely socialized to shop online.”
Paul Schloss, a retail real estate agent with Bourn Partners said the move to open stores on Thanksgiving makes sense because consumers have a finite number of dollars to spend on holiday shopping so the earlier a retailer can be open to get that money, the better chance of getting a larger slice of the pie.
“Retailers, especially this year, want to capture those dollars that might have gone elsewhere,” Schloss said.
That dynamic may not hold for all, however. Bill Roh Jr., vice president of retail sales at Roh’s Fine Home Electronics, 3525 N. Campbell Ave., said he never plans on being open on Thanksgiving.
“Really, that is the frenzy part of Christmas,” Roh said. “People want something cheap and they don’t really care about the quality of it. That’s not my customer. My customer will think more about the purchase and won’t always have to have it that same day because they usually want it installed in their home.”
Roh said the move makes sense for those retailers who deal in volume but not for the small local businesses.
“I can understand the fast-food retailers opening on Thanksgiving,” he said. “They’re desperate, we’re all desperate. But for my business it just doesn’t make sense. Besides, I couldn’t do that to my employees. I love them and they need to be with their families.”
Contact reporter Joe Pangburn at jpangburn@azbiz.com or (520) 295-4259.
Comments
JG wrote on Nov 30, 2009 5:44 PM:
lieslies wrote on Nov 27, 2009 1:42 PM:
Shack Associate wrote on Nov 22, 2009 2:23 AM:
Mr. Bill Roh Jr is right on when he said, " I couldn’t do that to my employees. I love them and they need to be with their families.” Mr. Roh THANK YOU so much for your statement. I wish my company leaders would also think with their hearts instead of thinking of their wallets.
As the store manager, I could take the day off and have my associates work that day. However, my whole existence tells me that this would be wrong. To all those leaders who made the decision, please see it in your heart how wrong this is: You and your families enjoying a feast while a few of us will be selling, attaching accessories & RSSP's, and transitioning to wireless.
I end this post with a company statement, Working Together.
Happy Holidays everyone. "
XYZ wrote on Nov 20, 2009 10:10 PM:
Brandon wrote on Nov 20, 2009 5:45 PM:
Testing the waters ? I think Corporate will find a way to take the holiday pay away for the comming years.
Is Christmas next ? "