After dinner at a Maggiano's restaurant, the Tannehill/Schroeder clan headed over to Sears at Woodfield Mall in search of a 50-inch flat-screen TV for less than $300.
After 10 minutes of waiting in line, they breezed into the store. That's when Terri Schroeder, of Chicago, began to yell. "Hurry, grab a TV," she said to her sister-in-law, Margie Tannehill, of West Chicago. Both women laughed.
As it turns out, the family of eight waited in the wrong line at the wrong door at Sears. Vouchers for the 50-inch TV and other discounted "door-busters" were given out at another entrance, and they missed their chance to snag the coveted TV.
After making their way through the swarming crowd, they found another TV, and both women grabbed it. They settled on a smaller, less expensive 32-inch flat-screen set that at $250 was on sale but not a door-buster that had throngs of shoppers waiting in line at Sears since Thursday afternoon.
"This is not the one we wanted, but we're keeping it," Schroeder said with a giggle.
She joined throngs of shoppers who cut off Thanksgiving celebrations to turn their attention to preparing for the December holiday season, which typically accounts for up to 40 percent of retailers' sales.
Black Friday historically launched the day after Thanksgiving. But in recent years, stores have opened at 4 a.m., then midnight. Last year, retailers created a stir by opening at 10 p.m. Thursday. This year, Wal-Mart upped the ante when it announced plans to open at 8 p.m.
Taryan Sanders and Maurice Boston, both 25, were among those hanging out at the Wal-Mart in Humboldt Park, waiting for the 8 p.m. round of door-busters.
With a cart already filled with playthings like a Monster High doll, toy puppy and scooter (they'd been at the store since 4 p.m.), the couple stationed themselves near a pallet of Nerf gun sets that would go on sale for $10 each, items they eyed for Sanders' younger brothers.
"Gotta get the door-busters for my daughter and two brothers," Sanders said. "I already ate, and I'm out ready to get my shop on!"
This year, holiday spending is expected to rise 4.1 percent, according to the National Retail Federation. Last year, more than 24 percent of Black Friday shoppers were out before midnight, and nearly 39 percent of shoppers were in the stores before 5 a.m.
A recent survey from the consulting firm Deloitte shows that Chicago-area consumers plan to spend about 10 percent more on gifts this year, shelling out an average of $450. Most also expect the national economy to pick up in 2013 — their most positive outlook since 2009.
Beyond early Thanksgiving openings, retailers have also vied to outdo one another by offering Black Friday-esque discounts — in stores and online — nearly a week early.
"First blood is everything," said Wendy Liebmann, CEO and chief shopper at WSL Strategic Retail, a New York-based consumer behavior research firm. "This is really the first year where we've seen a vast majority of retailers decide that Thanksgiving Day is no longer sacrosanct."
Retailers are pulling out all the stops, from offering gift cards as incentives to shoppers who buy higher-priced items to touting deeper-than-ever discounts on popular items such as televisions and tablets. They'll send coupons to shoppers' phones, and many will promise to match rivals' prices.
"The earlier you can get people to open their wallets, the better," Liebmann said. "The uncertainty of life is such that you don't know what people will spend throughout the (holiday) season. So get 'em when you can."
With Black Friday bleeding into Thursday, the type of shopper prowling for good deals was expected to change, industry watchers said.
Mothers and families typically hit the stores Friday. But this year, retail watchers say men were expected to make a strong showing Thursday night. Big-spending millennials might also be inclined to soak up the partylike atmosphere.
The earlier hours open a window to "appeal to a wider array of customers," said Ben Arnold, director of industry analysis at the Port Washington, N.Y.-based research firm NPD Group.
Some things stay the same, though. As in years past, shoppers are angling to get more bang for their buck. Flat-screen TVs have always been big Black Friday sellers, but this year, they are expected to be larger and cheaper. TVs and laptops, annual best-sellers, are expected to hit a new price low, experts say.
Wal-Mart greeted Thursday night shoppers with deeply discounted TVs, video game consoles and Blu-ray players. At Sears, shoppers were met with on-sale tablet computers, washer and dryer sets, refrigerators and more TVs, among other items.
To prepare for the crowds, retailers have bolstered employee ranks and stepped up training. They have also staggered door-buster deals.
Toys R Us, which opened at 8 p.m. Thursday, distributed tickets to shoppers lined up for door-buster deals such as a 16-gigabyte iPod accompanied by $50 in gift cards, to avoid a "mad rush," CEO Jerry Storch told the Tribune in an interview. "It de-stresses the crowd," he said.
At electronics seller Best Buy, which opened at midnight, store managers have been giving staff crash courses in customer service and product knowledge, said Mitchell Zelasko, sales manager at the retailer's Bucktown location. The chain has hired more than 20,000 employees nationwide for its stores, distribution centers and customer service centers to support the holiday rush.
Locally, Best Buy planned to boost security for the shopping kickoff Friday, keep employees well-fed and in the store by ordering food and bringing in off-duty Chicago police officers to help keep order.
"Things can change very quickly in a mob situation," Zelasko said. "We keep things under control and we keep it fun."
Cheryl V. Jackson is a freelance writer.
crshropshire@tribune.com | Twitter @corilyns
