Earlier openings this year for Black Friday

Written by Dave Gallagher | The Bellingham Herald | November 16, 2012

Ready for Black Friday (or Gray Thursday, as some are calling it)? I’ve been working on some preview stories for next week’s shopping event, and what struck me is how much earlier stores are doing these openings. Below is a list I’ve compiled for Bellingham stores:

BLACK FRIDAY OPENINGS

Here is a partial list of stores opening early in Bellingham, based on leaked ads gathered by gottadeal.com, contacting officials and company websites:

7 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 22: Big Lots! (Open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., then open 6 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 23)

4 p.m. Michaels (Open 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., then open 7 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 23)

8 p.m. Walmart, Sears, Kmart

9 p.m. Target

11:30 p.m. Main doors open at Bellis Fair; a majority of stores within the mall open at midnight.

Midnight: Best Buy, Kohl’s, Macy’s

5 a.m.: Fred Meyer, DeWaard & Bode, Lowe’s, Home Depot

6 a.m. Jo-Ann Fabrics, Bed Bath & Beyond, JC Penney, OfficeMax

7 a.m. Harbor Freight Tools, PetSmart, Rite Aid