Waiting until Black Friday is so 2006.
Retailers seem to be pushing an increasingly early start to the holiday season, and shopper Nasha Kohler is one of many Yorkers to notice.
She was working at Macy's before Halloween, when the Christmas decorations started rolling out.
"It just seems like everyone is doing it," she said. "Everybody already has their trees up. I guess maybe they want to make more money."
As consumers are stretching their dollars, retailers are stretching the season.
Area stores are hoping to inspire more shoppers earlier, offering extended hours and steep
discounts that start before the biggest shopping day of the year.
Target is advertising "Pre-Black Friday" deals on toys with a four-day sale that started Sunday and goes until Wednesday.
Boscov's is pushing "After Thanksgiving Pricing NOW," encouraging customers not to wait until after Thanksgiving to get "great buys."
The Bon-Ton's pre-thanksgiving sale started Sunday, as did sales at Kohl's, Toys R Us, and Fashion Bug.
Thanksgiving, too: Some stores that started to open on Thanksgiving when the economy was entering recession are keeping the new tradition alive.
Among those to swing open their doors for turkey-sated customers are Sears, Big Lots, Dollar General and Old Navy.
York Galleria General Manager Lucinda Hartshorne said a few of the anchor stores at the mall have always opened earlier than the mall's 6 a.m. start of business on Black Friday, but smaller mall stores are pushing to open even earlier this year.
The mall's department stores are opening at 4 a.m., she said, and the Galleria's Web site is being updated with the extended hours of internal mall stores that are hoping to catch the traffic.
"Smaller shops never wanted to open before the mall," she said. "And a few years ago, nobody was open on Thanksgiving. Everybody wants to get those dollars. People only have so much to spend, and (retailers) are trying to get them to their stores first."
Despite the pre-Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day deals, "we're still going to see very large crowds on Friday," she said.
'Gobblepalooza': York's Old Navy store is pitching a three-day "Gobblepalooza" from Thanksgiving to "Black Saturday" in place of the one-day Black Friday sale.
The chain has had a hearty turnout when opening select stores for Thanksgiving over the past two years, so the hours were extended to most stores this year, said Sarah Glazier, district manager for central Pennsylvania.
She said the York location has done exceptionally well on Thanksgiving, apparently providing an outlet for people who don't like football or post-consumption napping.
"There's nothing else really in that shopping center that's open," she said. "There are too many people in the house and it's like, 'What should we do? Let's go to Old Navy.'"
She said the biggest draws this year will be jeans starting at $10 and "puffy" coats for $15.
The York store is among those providing giveaways and video game kiosks to keep people busy while others shop. It will be open Thanksgiving from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m., then reopen at midnight for Black Friday, she said.
A gorilla costume? Best Buy in Springettsbury Township is noted for its lengthy line and creative customer behavior on Black Friday.
General manager, Cindy Kemmerly said she has seen "just about everything" from bargain seekers since the store opened a few years ago.
People grill food, play games, and watch portable televisions in front of the store, she said.
One couple who wanted to purchase a washer and dryer waited in line from noon on Thanksgiving until 5 a.m. Black Friday, she said.
There was a man who wore a gorilla costume to keep warm, and some people last year left a futon and a recliner they used to make their waits more cozy.
The store opens at 5 a.m. this year, with its entire team of 130 employees working a minimum of 12 hours each, except minors, Kemmerly said.
Dignified bargain hunting: The store tries to keep people happy, safe, and dignified, she said.
"We have a porta-pottie placed out back," she said. "We think that's a good investment. People know that it's there, and they don't have to do other crazy things."
Around 3:30 a.m. each year, the staff hands out tickets to the people in line, she said.
"You don't have to run. You don't have to push. You don't have to injure anyone, and you know you're getting that item," she said. "We do it right, that we have enough people to maintain control."
She said there's no one single item that's expected to be most popular this year, but there are deals on televisions and other home theater equipment.
