JCPenney
Hours: 3 p.m. to midnight Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday
Best deal: $2.99 bath towels
Address: Lakeshore Mall, 150 Pearl Nix Parkway, Gainesville
Belk
Hours: 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday
Best deal: $19.99 boots in select styles
Address: Lakeshore Mall
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Hours: 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday, open at 5 a.m. Friday
Best deal: Goaliath 54-inch In-Ground Basketball Hoop with Pole Pad for $400
Address: Lakeshore Mall
Sears
Hours: 6 p.m. to midnight Thursday, open at 5 a.m. Friday
Best deal: Kenmore refrigerator for $999, save $1,200
Address: Lakeshore Mall
Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, Books-A-Million
Hours: 6 p.m. to midnight Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday
Address: Lakeshore Mall
Dress Up Boutique
Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday
Best deals: $9 scarves or three for $24, $6 leggings or three for $15
Address: Downtown Gainesville square, 200 Washington St. SW, Gainesville
Fashion Ten Below
Hours: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday
Best deals: Simply Southern T-shirts for less than $10
Address: Downtown Gainesville square, 110 Washington St. NE, Gainesville
Best Buy
Hours: 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday
Best deal: An LG 60-inch ultra HD flatscreen TV for $600
Address: 670 Dawsonville Highway, Gainesville
Target
Opens: 6 p.m. Thursday
Best deal: Apple iPod Mini 2 for $200, save $70
Address: 514 Shallowford Road, Gainesville
Wal-Mart
Opens: 6 p.m. Thursday
Best deal: Dyson Big Ball Animal Allergy Bagless Upright Vacuum for $500
Address: 400 Shallowford Road, Gainesville
Kohl’s
Opens: 6 p.m. Thursday
Best deal: KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart Stand Mixer for $280, save $70
Address: 975 Dawsonville Highway, Gainesville
North Georgia Premium Outlets
Address: 800 Ga. 400 S., Dawsonville
When Thanksgiving leftovers are safely tucked away in the fridge, some choose to head out into the November chill for doorbusters and deals.
This year, many stores are opening for part of the Thanksgiving holiday and then opening early Friday. The stores inside Lakeshore Mall will open at 6 a.m., while Dick’s Sporting Goods is opening at 5 a.m. and Sears will open at 5 a.m.
The mall’s biggest draws, namely Belk and JCPenney, will open at 6 a.m. on Friday, but they have earlier hours on Thursday.
Belk will open at 4 p.m. Thursday, but the deals available on Thanksgiving Day were already up in-store on Wednesday, according to employee Pricilla Navarro. This is her second Black Friday working for the department store.
JCPenney will open an hour earlier than Belk at 3 p.m. Thursday, while Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret and Sears open at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Department stores like Kohl’s, Walmart and Target will also open at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
If you choose to shop locally on Black Friday, Dress Up Boutique and Fashion Ten Below are two stores on the downtown Gainesville square that see huge crowds come Friday.
“We have 16 store locations, and each of them have lines every year,” said Hillary Harper, director of marketing and public relations for Dress Up.
Harper said the lines are usually wrapped around the building and around the corner at the Gainesville location. She suggests getting there early Friday morning to score the deals.
“We have a lot of inventory, so our items don’t sell out fast. We have a high quantity and more options than last year,” Harper said.
The store’s hours are normally 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., but they will open at 9 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. These hours will also reflect the kickoff of their holiday hours.
“We try to respect the holiday,” Harper said. “We like to make sure our customers are spending the holiday with their families and they won’t have to wake up too early.”
Not only that, but customers waiting in line will receive a hot cocoa.
If you live closer to Dawsonville, the North Georgia Premium Outlets will open at 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday and open again from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday. It is located at 800 Ga. 400 S. in Dawsonville.
