James Tenser

Walmart Can't Wait for Black Friday to Begin

November 12, 2012

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Ten p.m. must have been too late a start for Walmart last Thanksgiving. This year the retailer has decided that it will swing open its doors at eight o'clock in a rush to capture greater share of consumer expenditures this holiday season. How much advantage do Walmart and others gain by opening hours earlier than the competition?      [more...]

Count me as one of those individuals who would never spoil a precious day off with family by rubbing elbows with frantic, sweaty, cranberry-stained bargain hunters in a retail emporium constructed of cinder blocks.

Opening the stores earlier may siphon some early dollars out of the pockets of shoppers who enjoy that sort of thing. Taken at a large scale, that may influence share of wallet slightly. This may be good business from the shareholder perspective, but it feels to me like just one more increment in the decent of our cultural hand-basket.