Target 9pm Thanksiving Night - How Bad Will It Be?

[MomToOne]

I am generally NOT a Black Friday shopper, but I am debating going to Target for their 9pm opening Thanksgiving night this year. I have various items I want, no electronics but things like pajamas, etc. that will be on sale but limited stock.

For those experienced shoppers, how bad will it really be? How many people will be there waiting for the store to open - 100, 500, 1000, more???? Is parking ever a problem at your Target? I'm willing to fight a crowd, but not a stampede...

 

[jacksmomma]

Expect a line wrapping around the building, with cops and workers directing traffic. Last year I did not want any hot items, so I got there 10 minutes before opening. I was directed to the back of the line that was currently wrapped all the way around the side and halfway down the length of the store. I ended up waiting beside a giant rat trap! (gross!). The line moved quickly though and I think my checkout wait was about 20 minutes. The good thing is Target is very organized, nothing like the chaos of Walmart!

 

[jmac323]

Good line of questioning. I am planning to do Target this year too. No electronics needs just games, toys, clothing. I was going to just go regular opening time but I really wanted the RAZR scooters for the kids in the family. I'll need to think this over, sounds like mass hysteria. for the most part, i go with intentions on standing in lines, rude people, pushing and then just try to remain calm haha.

 

[ehough]

I did this last year- I just wanted to go for the experience, and picked up a few less popular things like slippers, underwear, etc. But it was crazy. They only let about 5 people in at a time, which meant it took forever to get in. By the time we did get in, there were people everywhere- I couldn't look at anything because people were standing in front of it. The checkout line wrapped around the store through various aisles. I won't be doing it again!

 

[ktlm]

Insane, but not nearly as insane as if you attempted to do something really crazy on Thanksgiving night like go to a Toys R Us... ask my husband!

(That's my own personal inside joke. Last Thanksgiving, he looked at me about 9:00 p.m. and said "Hey Toys R Us is open tonight- lets go over there". I said "It's going to be crowded. Are you sure?" He said he didn't think it would be that crowded on Thanksgiving night-- "nothing like it would be in the morning". After I walked into the other room where he couldn't see me and laughed a bit, I agreed. The boy had no clue. We got there and the line was all the way down the strip mall because the store was at capacity and was only letting guests in as other guests left. After I picked his chin up off the floor and quit laughing, he still wanted to get in line since we were there and because he figured there just must be something good in there with that crowd and because he wasn't going to back down with me laughing so hard". We were in line probably 20-30 minutes to get in. Then, when we got in as he looked around, he he quickly realized that the check out lines went from the front of the store, all the way to the back wall. I'm guessing it was about an hour wait to check out. He finally was ready to give up and leave. I think I was laughing so hard tears were rolling down my face.)

 

[kkandaj]

I have gone to Target the past two years...last year for one of the TV's, so got in line 5-6 hours early. At our store, they let 30 in at a time--and then every 30 seconds let 30 more in. We got everything we wanted, but we were in the 2nd group of 30. There were at least 500 people behind us. By the time we checked out, they had us wrap like a zig zag snake all the way to the back of the store. Probably waited close to an hour to check out.

I have also been to Walmart and it is mass hysteria. Target does an amazing job. They come out several times with hot chocolate/energy bars--also warning people that if there is running or cutting, you will be sent out of the store. And they follow through with that threat. A crazy amount of people think they will be able to wait in their cars in line all night and then rush the store. People in the front of the line (me) get very defensive about this...and the police are there to make a barricade so those people can't rush the line at the last minute.

I usually go just for the fun and the rush--I'm competitive by nature so just love it. But this year, there is nothing I "need" (like I needed the tv and PlayStation 3 DH talked me into last year), so will be staying home and spending the night with my kiddos at their great-grandparents house--a tradition that I did for 20 years as a kid.

If you are just going for pj's and stuff, there was a year that we went back to Target later in the evening that still had all that stuff. Is there are Target near you that people don't frequent as often as others? If so, that would be that Target I would go to. If you go, have fun! I know I will be itching to be there.

ETA: I actually think lines will be worse this year because people don't have to actually spend the night outside like previous years. Only us die hards (crazy people) will spend the night outside. Normal people shop at 9pm all the time.

 

[elgerber]

Agreed, the line will wrap all the way around the building. Ours last year, went all the way to the other end of the buliding, across the parking lot, and over to Applebees. BUT, they are very well organized, and it's well controlled chaos. PJ's sell like hotcakes! By the time I get done in Electronics, the PJs are generally gone.
ToysRUs, Kohls and Best Buy are worse, and Walmart, no thank you!

 

[DebMcDonald]

I've done Target, when they've had the 4 or 5 a.m. opening and the line has wrapped around the building. I agree with the others above - Target is very very organized and nothing like Walmart. My recommendation is if you are not looking for the HOT items to get there 10 minutes before opens, wait until the line disappears and then walk in and you'll be in and out quickly.

 

[la79al]

Crud, I was planning on hitting Walmart at 8 and then swinging by Target at 9. The only thing I really want is the tutus so maybe I'll skip the chaos .

 

[luvthemouse71]

Not bad here, the stores can't open until after midnight. Which is how it should be. Let the retail workers have time with their families too.

Our local Target opens at 1am.

 

[maxiesmom]

Not bad here, the stores can't open until after midnight. Which is how it should be. Let the retail workers have time with their families too.

Our local Target opens at 1am.

I keep seeing comments about "let the workers have time with their families" and think those people must never have worked retail over Christmas. Do you not realize that in order for a store to open at Midnight, they have to have workers in at 10pm or so? It takes a lot of time to get the money ready for the day, and to open the registers, and get everyone in place. Not to mention security watching the lines. They have to get there hours ahead of opening.

Having a law in place that a store can't open until Midnight doesn't keep people home with their families until Midnight. It is not much different than opening at 8 or 9 pm.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I'm all for Black Friday or even Saturday being the week before Thanksgiving - I don't like how it interferes with the holiday. I heard on the radio that they're really trying to make this happen.

ETA ~ http://consumerist.com/2012/11/13/moving-black-friday-up-a-week-could-save-thanksgiving/

 

[mcgrawfan]

Check out Target online on Thanksgiving Day. Good chance you can get what you want. Also I read on another thread that Target Red Card holders can log in and shop on Wednesday...Gonna check it out tomorrow! Good Luck!

 

[wiigirl]

I'm all for Black Friday or even Saturday being the week before Thanksgiving - I don't like how it interferes with the holiday. I heard on the radio that they're really trying to make this happen.

ETA ~ http://consumerist.com/2012/11/13/moving-black-friday-up-a-week-could-save-thanksgiving/

Me too....currently scoping out my battle plan!

 

[Twingle]

Check out Target online on Thanksgiving Day. Good chance you can get what you want. Also I read on another thread that Target Red Card holders can log in and shop on Wednesday...Gonna check it out tomorrow! Good Luck!

I hadn't heard this - thank you for sharing!

 

[snoopy5386]

Wait, what? It is really that crowded? I live in a smallish town, less that 20 thousand people. Is it really going to be that crowded? I was looking to try and get a tv, I need to get in line 5 or 6 hours beforehand???

If I couldn't get a tv at Target I was going to try at Walmart since they have the one hour guarantee on the tv I want, what will Walmart be like?

 

[MomToOne]

Thanks for the info folks. I do plan to check out the Red Card presale tomorrow, but they don't actually say the items from the Black Friday circular will be available for that - just "exclusive sale items". So I am trying to get myself set for actually braving the store on Thursday!

I think my plan is going to be to get there right at about 9pm or maybe even a tad later, and just take my luck. If it looks like a zoo, I probably won't even pull into the parking lot. If it looks organized and like I won't be standing out in the cold/rain for more than a bit, then I'll go in. Whatever I get, I get. If anything I am looking for is already gone by the time I get in, well then, the universe just didn't mean for me to have it

 

[3boymthr]

Target was definitely controlled chaos last year. My store might be better than others because we have the absolute nuttiness of an outlet mall across town. The lines outside the store wrapped around the store so yup they were long but everyone was very nice both other customers and workerbees and the lines inside weren't too bad so long as you didn't want an electronics item. People were sharing coupons and shopping tips letting people know when they were sold out of an item or if they still had some left. The store was even handing out food to customers waiting in line outside - some kind of sample of a weird protein bar but hey, free food is free food, especially at 1 AM ETA - I live in MA where the employees can't go to work on Thanksgiving unless they want to pay double time so the stores can open at 12 AM but most wait so not to pay the extra money (oh and my DS' friends make TRIPLE time on holidays as they are underage - they all love to work cause they make sooo much money.)

 

[luvthemouse71]

I keep seeing comments about "let the workers have time with their families" and think those people must never have worked retail over Christmas. Do you not realize that in order for a store to open at Midnight, they have to have workers in at 10pm or so? It takes a lot of time to get the money ready for the day, and to open the registers, and get everyone in place. Not to mention security watching the lines. They have to get there hours ahead of opening.

Having a law in place that a store can't open until Midnight doesn't keep people home with their families until Midnight. It is not much different than opening at 8 or 9 pm.

Well, that sucks. Didn't know that. Maybe they should get rid of Black Friday altogether. It's stupid anyway. They advertise a really cheap item, but fail to tell people that the store only has 20 available.

If you're a smart shopper, you can find good deals anywhere. Oh, and I worked retail a long time ago..Black Friday wasn't the huge deal it is today. If I have to work a holiday these days and get called in, it's because someone needs emergency surgery, not so some knucklehead can try to score a flatscreen TV,lol.

 

[ellie05]

Target had a line wrapping around the store 3 hours before opening around here, we decided to skip it not worth waiting in the cold.

Our Waltmart on the other hand was extremely organized. They had lines forming for every item they had a ton of employees guarding the lines and counting people so when the supply run out they would let them know not to wait. They were cops all around the store too. Good luck .