If you’re not planning on buying a television, cell phone, laptop or any type of electronic device this Black Friday, I suggest you sleep in and enjoy leftovers from the night before, because you aren’t missing anything. Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year and the kick-off to the Christmas season. According to the National Retail Federation, about 147 million people plan to go out and spend their money this weekend. Sure you’ll score some sales and discounts, maybe free items with your purchase or a gift card for the next time you come in, but is it really worth it, dealing with rude people and waiting in long lines? Most people don’t know that the sales typically last all day and in some cases throughout the entire weekend. I would suggest going sometime during the afternoon when the malls have cleared out and are less hectic.
Below are the Black Friday hours for some of the malls in the Tampa area. Keep in mind that certain stores will be offering special deals and open earlier than the rest of the mall. To find out this information check the mall websites or contact the store individually.
Mall Hours:
International Plaza: 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
University Mall: 6 a.m. – 10 p.m.
WestShore Plaza: 6 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Citrus Park Mall: midnight – 9 p.m.
Brandon Mall: midnight – 9 p.m.
The Shops at Wiregrass: 6 a.m. – 9 p.m.
If you’re looking to save money on clothes, International Plaza won’t be the ideal place to shop, especially since most of the stores specialize in luxurious goods. However, some of the more commercial stores will have some great deals going on throughout the day.
Citrus Park and Brandon are the best places to save money because they have the more affordable stores, but are not the malls to go to if you want to avoid the extreme shoppers. Some people even leave Thanksgiving dinner just to line up to get the best deals.
Online shopping is another alternative if you want to avoid waiting in lines completely. Select stores will be offering the same on their websites throughout the day. If you can, order the item online and select in-store pickup. This will save you the time of browsing, cost of shipping and you’ll be able to get in and out of the store quicker.
If you are a brave soul and decide to venture out into the madness that is Black Friday, I wish you the best of luck. Coordinate with your friends and plan a shopping trip or a mother-daughter date to make things more fun. Don’t worry about getting all your shopping done in one day because there will be more sales coming up, especially during the week before Christmas. Have fun and happy shopping!
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