J.C. Penny, which is one of 12 Galleria stores to open at or before 5 a.m., will offer more than 100 special discounts to early shoppers and Fry’s Electronics in Burbank, opening at 5 a.m., plans to offer an extensive set of television and computer deals to morning visitors.
“They have to try to preempt each other,” Lars Perner, professor of marketing at the USC Marshall School of Business, said of the early bargains that have crept deeper into the night this year. “If some of the companies start opening up on Thanksgiving day, then you’d really have to do that too because otherwise, you risk that people are going to spend their money with other companies.”
Strained by competition from big-box stores and web-based sellers, retailers have grown increasingly aggressive leading up to a holiday season that has followed a year of slow sales, experts and businesses said.
Many are at risk of closing without strong holiday figures, , experts said.
“For some of these guys, I presume it’s their last chance,” said Harold Kassarjian, professor of marketing at the Cal State Northridge College of Business and Economics.
Large retailers have attempted to streamline their services and lower prices to attract consumers, with Sears going as far as offering shoppers the chance to log onto their website and reserve an item at a nearby store as soon as it opens Friday.
That option will add convenience to Black Friday discounts, which have grown increasingly competitive, said Tom Aiello, a spokesman for Sears Holdings, which owns Sears and Kmart.
“[Customers] really know where the economy is, where they stand, and they’re going out there and they’re taking more of an offensive approach looking for those deals,” Aiello said.
