Lawrence retailers on lookout for early holiday shoppers

Traditionally, the day after Thanksgiving has been the kickoff of the holiday shopping season.

That’s not the case anymore.

Two of Lawrence’s three large discount retail chains will be open today ” Thanksgiving Day ” to cash in on holiday shoppers’ rush to get started.

“The real advantage is to the customer for the last-minute Thanksgiving things they forget,” said Jim Papa, store director at Wal-Mart, 3300 Iowa.

But, Papa said, people looking for emergency turkey-day touch-ups won’t be the only ones in the store.

“When the guys are watching football, the ladies like to come out and browse and maybe get an early start on their Christmas shopping,” he said.

That’s the kind of shopper Papa and Kmart store manager Jon Rose are counting on today.

Wal-Mart will stick to its regular 24-hour schedule, while Kmart, 3106 Iowa, will be open an hour earlier than usual, at 7 a.m. It will keep its doors open until 11 p.m.

“It gives us a jump on the holiday season,” Rose said. “It’s the same for the customer, too.”

Other big department stores will be opening early Friday to cater to shoppers in a hurry to start spending. J.C. Penney, 3311 Iowa; Kohl’s, 3240 Iowa, and Sears, 2727 Iowa, all are set to open at 6 a.m. Weaver’s Department Store, 901 Mass., will open a half-hour early Friday, at 9 a.m.

Shrugging off the Thanksgiving tradition is a strategy more retail companies are adapting, said Peggy Johnson, a certified financial planner with American Express Financial Advisors.

“Retailers nowadays have to do anything they can to get ahead,” she said. “They have to make themselves accessible to the public.”

With consumer confidence creeping back up after sagging to a nine-year low in early November and with Thanksgiving being later in November than usual, retailers are willing to do whatever they can to accommodate shoppers this season.

That means longer hours, better deals and more employees in many cases.

“Everybody but four employees will be working,” Rose said, “and they won’t be working because they have to go home for Thanksgiving.”

In Lawrence, Target is the only big discounter that will sit out the holiday.

Brett Schubert, store team leader, said the decision to remain closed on Thanksgiving had more to do with the company’s employees than potential customers.

“Traditionally, Target’s never been open on Thanksgiving,” he said. “We think it’s important to our team members to have the day off, so we don’t open.”

Still, Schubert knows there are always people wanting to shop.

“That’s sales you can capture,” he said. “If you’re closed, you’re guaranteeing that you aren’t going to get any sales. That’s a decision you have to weigh.”

And just like the customers who drive their businesses, store owners in and around Lawrence are ready to deal with the holiday blitz as best they can.

“It takes a little bit of manpower to get it organized,” Papa said. “We’ll have 23 check-outs up front, a couple people in sporting goods, electronics and jewelry, and a ton of sales help and carry-out people ready to go.”