On your mark. Get set. Go! When the clock strikes midnight after Thanksgiving, shoppers will be sprinting to local stores to go shopping crazy. Many stores open at 12 am on Friday, others open even sooner. Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year. More recently, Small Business Saturday has become an appealing alternative to the Black Friday Rush. Another option? Cyber Monday; A day when online stores posts great sales or offer event better deals. If you plan on doing some holiday shopping over the weekend, here are a few recommendations:
Black Friday
The Centre at Salisbury: If it’s raining on Black Friday, go to the Centre at Salisbury, the only indoor mall in the area. You can get all of your holiday shopping done before the sun comes up. Stores like Boscov’s, Sears, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Macy’s, and JC Penny’s will be offering their best deals of the year. Other specialty shops, boutiques, and department stores will be open at midnight and remain open until 10 pm. Santa will be at the mall Friday afternoon to take photos with children.
The Commons: North Point Drive in Salisbury, MD is another place to be during the early morning hours on Friday. North Point Drive is lined by stores known for their Black Friday sales. The shopping center, known as The Commons, includes Target, Michael’s, Best Buy, Home Depot, Sports Authority, Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, and many more mainstream stores will be open for early bird specials. Some stores, like Target, will even be open as early as 2 am.
Ocean City Factory Outlets: Located just one mile from Ocean City, the Ocean City Factory Outlets offer up to 70% off of everyday prices at your favorite name brand outlet stores. On Black Friday, the outlets will be offering even better discounts. The retail shopping complex is home to stores like Aeropostal, Bass, Calvin Klein, Carters for Kids, Dress Barn, Gap, Pac Sun, Rue 21, Tommy Hilfiger, and more. Non-outlet stores like Marshalls, Staples, Michael’s, and Bed Bath and Beyond will be offering great sales in the same complex, too. The Factory Outlets will be open Thanksgiving from 10 am – 6pm, close Thanksgiving Eve, and will be opening at different times throughout the morning on Black Friday.
The Tanger Outlets of Rehoboth: The outlets in Rehoboth, DE are kicking off Black Friday with a Moonlight Madness sale. Their after Thanksgiving sales start at 10 pm on Thanksgiving night. Choose a designated time to shop for great deals and extra incentive – prizes. Start shopping at 10 pm on Thursday and be one of the first 200 shoppers in line at the outlets and receive a $10 Tanger gift card. Be one of the first 100 shoppers at 2 am on Friday and receive a $20 gift card. From 2 – 6 am shoppers can register to win a 51” television. At 6:05 am, the television winner will be announced in front of the Shopper Services area at the outlet center. There is also a Tanger Mobile App that can be downloaded for specials Black Friday savings, too. Stores like Banana Republic, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Hartstrings, and Lane Bryant will be offering 50% off anything in the store while stores like Hollister, Izod, Juicy Couture, Lenox, and Michael Kors will be offering a designated percentage off of an entire purchase.
Small Business Saturday
Art 4 Clean Bays: Arts 4 Clean Bays is a fundraiser where the Maryland Coastal Bays Program provides a venue for artists and crafters to display and sell their work in the town of Berlin during the Holiday Art Stroll on Black Friday and throughout the entire month of December. The show will be located in the Berlin Chamber of Commerce building at 14 S. Main Street. 30% of all sale proceeds will go toward the Maryland Coastal Bays Program’s efforts to protect the estuaries and habitats of our bays. The event will feature a variety of locally-created artwork including acrylic paintings, prints, jewelry, wearable fiber art, fresh greenery, dog treats, and stocking stuffers like cards or candles. The sale starts on Small Business Saturday and ends Saturday, December 31st at 4 pm.
Little Local Things: A special event kicks off at the Globe Theater in Berlin, MD on Friday. Little Local Things is a local shopping incentive. Upstairs at the Globe guests will find jewelry, handbags, hostess gifts, wine bags, accessories, and unique handcrafted Christmas gifts on display and for sale. Lots of exciting items will be upstairs in the gallery until the end of December. December 14th is Men’s Shopping Night at the exhibit. From 5 – 9 pm, men in need of Christmas gifts for the women in their lives can drink beer, eat pizza, and shop. Be sure to register to win a spring preview party while checking out the temporary store. Featured products are handmade and from local business, Kiki Burleigh and A Mermaids Purse Jewelry.
Raggamuffin: Raggamuffin, the adorable little store that occupies the yellow brick building on 24th Street and Costal Highway in Ocean City will be open from 10 am -6 pm on Small Business Saturday. The fun clothing and accessories on the racks, shelves, and displays at Raggamuffin are beautiful and original pieces. Every item in the store is hand selected by the owners and staff. Take advantage of the cozy and warm fireplace in Raggamuffin. Enjoy good music, yummy libations, and get a free goodie bag with any purchase on Small Business Saturday.
K-Coast Surf Shop: K-Coast Surf Shop, on 35th Street and Coastal Highway in Ocean City, will celebrate their 23rd annual Surfing Santa Sale. Starting Black Friday and continuing through Christmas, shoppers will receive a free $10 gift card with every $100 purchase. Enjoy huge storewide savings on surf clothes, accessories, and products. K-Coast has tons of Ugg boots in stock for the holidays, too. K-Coast Girl, on 78th Street and Coastal Highway, also offers unique items in their ‘girls-only’ boutique. While planning you shopping trip, grab a gently used coat out of your closet and bring it to K-Coast. The surf shop will be donating gently worn jackets and coats to the Atlantic UM Church Missions to help some locals in need. Those who donate will receive a $5 gift card to be spent whenever. Last year, K-Coast donated over 400 coats. Why not shop and help others at the same time?
Bungalow Love: Bungalow Love is a little shop, located at 12 Williams Street in Berlin, MD, that has shelves stocked with local, fair trade and vintage finds. Many items for sale are one-of-a-kind. The locally owned and operated gift shop sells handbags, cottage furniture, silk throw rugs, pottery, antique mirrors, and jewelry. A Mermaids Purse jewelry, made with sea shells, beads, and metals, are a great pick for gift giving.
The Treasure Chest: The jewelry store that occupies 20 N. Main Street in Berlin has one of the most unique jewelry selections in Delmarva. Every piece of jewelry for sale in the store has been hand-selected by the shop owners. The store offers jewelry repair, watch batter services, local artwork, jewelry boxes, and, of course, lots of diamonds and gemstones. The staff at The Treasure Chest are always welcoming and eager to assist their customers.
Bruder Hill: Looking for a gift that’s a little out of the ordinary for a leading lady in your life? Bruder Hill, 25 Commerce Street in Berlin, offers nice women’s clothing, accessories, jewelry, handbags, and gifts. The backroom of the shop is filled with consigned clothing, too.
Ta Da: Ta Da is an accessories store and Ta Da Home is the place to go for one-of-a -kind creations. The staff at Ta Da and Ta Da Home, 27 N. Main Street in Berlin, is ready to help you with any shopping needs. The team that runs the store specializes in hand-painted glassware and furniture. These items are sold in the shop with home accent pieces and distressed, painted antique furniture.
Christmas Spirit: Since it’s officially acceptable to decorate for Christmas after Thanksgiving, use Small Business Saturday to support Ocean City’s one-and-only Christmas shop, Christmas Spirit. The 2-story Christmas cottage is located on 24th Street and Coastal Highway. The shop will be open on Saturday and filled with ornaments, garlands, decorations, and gifts. It’s the perfect place to pick up some new holiday gear to decorate your home with or wrap as a present for a friend.
Cyber Monday
Shoppers can enjoy deeply discounted rates on the first Monday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Large stores offer deep discounts to people who purchase items online. Cyber Monday is increasingly becoming more popular than Black Friday. Those who don’t want to wake up at the crack of dawn, stand in line for overly excessive amounts of time, and battle for the last parking spot in a lot the size of eight football fields. The chaos of Black Friday shopping is overwhelming for many.
Cyber Monday is a terrific alternative for those who would rather take it easy on Friday, or for the enter weekend following the holiday, and have access to a computer on Monday. Some favorite web companies that offer great deals on Monday are Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Macy's, and Overstock.
Check local businesses that have online stores for great discounts, too. South Moon Under, K-Coast, Malibu’s Surf Shop, Chauncey’s Surf Shop, and The Kite Loft are all local Ocean City stores that also have web stores. These .com web retailers may offer specialty deals very comparable to those in stores on Black Friday.
Happy Shopping!
