If there was ever a time to take "shop till you drop" literally, it's this year's Black Friday. With stores opening at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving (Wal-Mart) and many others opening at midnight (Macy's, Target, Herberger's, Kohl's, Best Buy and Albertville Premium Outlets), Black Friday shoppers will have to decide whether to catch a few Z's before snatching the bargains or pull an all-nighter.
Ben Chorn of Duluth, a college student used to staying up late, doesn't have a nap on his to-do list. At least not on Thanksgiving. He plans to hit Wal-Mart by 9:30. Near midnight it's off to Target for some iTunes gift cards and then a tour of other big-box stores before going home at 2 a.m. -- then taking a nap and starting all over again for the 5 a.m. openings. Chorn recommends that unless you're in search of a door buster, go 30 minutes after a store's opening to find a parking spot easily. "The early birds have already flown to the next sale," he said.
His biggest concern about the earlier hours? Car accidents as people try to dash between stores on little sleep.
Julie Blaha of Ramsey will try to avoid a fender bender by squeezing in a nap before she heads out near midnight. But she draws the line at shopping on Thanksgiving Day. "It just seems wrong to shop on Thanksgiving," she said. "I want to save that day for my family."
As for the lull at 2 or 3 a.m. when she's done shopping and has to wait for the stores that open at 5 a.m., Blaha is undeterred. "Diet Mountain Dew will play a huge role in this equation," she said.
John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633
