More retailers closing on Thanksgiving, but still revving up on Friday
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Michele Ward and her husband, Gary, of Washington spent a recent morning walking and shopping at Washington Crown Center. The couple said they try to avoid Black Friday crowds.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Decorations grace Washington Crown Center, which will again be closed for Thanksgiving. Crown Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Black Friday.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Shoppers enter Washington Crown Center on Sunday.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Michele Ward and her husband, Gary, of Washington spent a recent morning walking and shopping at Washington Crown Center Mall. The couple said they try to avoid Black Friday crowds.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Kylie Fuller and her daughter, Reese, of Washington enjoy a moment of respite from holiday shopping. This will be eight-month-old Reese’s first Christmas.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Henry Tuma, four, admires the festive facade as he and his mom, Ashley Tuma, make their way through Washington Crown Center. The Tumas were looking forward to a Sunday afternoon at Planet Bounce.
Soon, the turkey will be on the table and shoppers will be storming the gates for deals. But, with few local exceptions, consumers won’t be feasting AND buying on the holiday.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday are just ahead, and the two-day retail-fest that had taken hold a decade ago has been diminished. The Observer-Reporter gleaned information on malls, shopping centers and big-box stores within 35 miles of Washington, and found the majority will be closed on Thanksgiving and reopen early on Friday, for the rush.
Tanger Outlets and Washington Crown Center will shut down for the holiday, along with Uniontown Mall, South Hills Village and The Mall at Robinson. So will Walmart Supercenters in South Strabane Township, Waynesburg and West Brownsville, which all will close at 11 p.m. Wednesday and reopen at 5 a.m. Friday.
There are two notable exceptions. Five restaurants and the AMC movie theaters will be open on Thanksgiving at the Galleria, in Mt. Lebanon. Hours will vary among those businesses. Black Friday hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Most – if not all – stores and restaurants in The Highlands complex in Triadelphia, W.Va., will be operating on the holiday, according to Ohio County Commissioner Randy Wharton.
“There are no restrictions there. It will definitely be a local merchant’s choice to be open on Thanksgiving, and national chains are free to do what they want,” he said. “Last year, COVID had a great impact on how merchants did. They’re now working really hard to produce a good holiday season.”
Hours there will vary among the operating businesses.
It appears the move away from Thanksgiving hours continues to be gaining momentum. This is a major holiday, one that draws families together and can alienate retail employees who have to work. And to have to issue holiday pay on a day when customer traffic would likely be down may not be cost-effective for some operators.
Civil Knox, general manager of Crown Center, said the mall in North Franklin Township has not been open on the holiday for about five years. “This is a day to get back to your family. We give the family a little break,” she said.
Crown Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Black Friday, which will be the beginning of a three-day Holiday Marketplace. Pet Photo Nights are scheduled for two consecutive Mondays, Nov. 29, and Dec. 6 from 5 to 7 p.m.
“We didn’t do too badly last year,” Knox said. “It was not our greatest holiday season because people were still leery (about the pandemic). It’s full speed ahead this year.”
It also will be full speed ahead at Tanger following the holiday respite. Management has expanded hours throughout the Christmas retail season, and the outlets will be highly energized next weekend. The open-air outlet mall will operate from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Black Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
“We do ask shoppers to be patient with stores, as some may limit the number of shoppers (inside),” general manager Nicole Baculik said in an email.
She added that children’s events are planned, including Story Time with guest readers.
Twelve miles to the north, along Washington Road, South Hills Village opens at 6 a.m. on Black Friday and shuts down at 9 p.m.
Uniontown Mall likewise has been closed during recent Thanksgivings. Black Friday will run from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“We’re not going with long hours. People are not shopping long hours,” general manager Lou Ann Hunchuck said.
She said holiday hours will vary at the center in South Union Township because “we have a lot of local store owners now (who are determining their Black Friday schedules).”
“We’ve kind of reinvented the mall over the past year,” explained Hunchuck, who was promoted to GM during the summer. “We have a Nerf arcade, a tattoo shop and a couple of boutiques. One should open in January.”
Santa will arrive there on Dec. 2, about three weeks before his triumphant return.
The O-R canvassing effort has been thorough. Time constraints, however, prohibited the newspaper from verifying one local assertion.
The Cracker Barrel in Trinity Point shopping center has posted that it is “the only restaurant open on Thanksgiving in the area.”
We’ll take the South Strabane store’s word on that.