How to shop Black Friday sales in the Fox Valley
Some of you might be wondering what you're going to do with yourselves now in the early morning hours of Black Friday.
For years, you've stood outside in the cold, huddled in blankets in a line that snaked through the Algonquin Commons mall. The cold was worth it, you thought, for the fun experience and the chance to win a $500 gift card to the mall during the annual Algonquin Commons Great Gift Card Giveaway.
This year, though, Algonquin Commons is reinventing Black Friday, said Kim Gilmore, from GMCI, the mall's marketing agency.
Instead of handing out 1,000 gift cards beginning at 5 a.m. on Black Friday, they're going to let shoppers download them from the comfort of their homes or their phones.
"This Black Friday is all about convenience and great deals," Gilmore said.
The gift cards are available now at a new dedicated website from the mall, www.EnjoyBlackFridayatAC.com.
If you head to the website, you can print out a ticket, which you can bring to the mall office for the gift card.
In all, there are 1,000 available to download. The cards will range in value from $5 to $500, and will come with a bag of coupons and goodies, Gilmore said.
And you don't even need to rush to the mall to redeem the ticket on Thanksgiving weekend. You can stop in any time between now and Dec. 23.
However, you cannot do it on Black Friday itself, because the mall office is closed on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
If you want to use the coupons for Black Friday shopping, you'll need to head there before Thursday to turn in your ticket.
"The mall is giving away thousands of dollars worth of gift cards for Black Friday," Gilmore said. "This year we want our customers to enjoy their holiday shopping. Don't stand in line in the cold, enjoy Black Friday shopping at Algonquin Commons."
The stores in Algonquin Commons will all be opening at varying times on Black Friday.
To find out when your must-shop-at opens, visit www.shopatalgonquincommons.com.
What now? Now that you have more time on your hands, and don't need to line up at Algonquin Commons starting at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving, you'll have more time to head to the other Black Friday hot spots along the Randall Road corridor.
For example, the Wal-Mart stores, Kohl's stores and the Target stores along the Randall Road corridor open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
Toys R Us and Best Buy stores up and down the corridor will be open even earlier - starting at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
If you're ready to shop even earlier, J.C. Penney will be open at 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving, giving you a chance to shop even before you've had your turkey.
Like Algonquin Commons, the stores at Geneva Commons will be opening at varying times on Black Friday.
The mall, however, officially opens that day at 9 a.m.
Stay warm: If you're looking to shop indoors instead on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee has special hours and events again this year.
Retailers such as Macy's and others throughout the mall will open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving. They will then close at midnight and reopen again at 9 a.m. on Black Friday.
Various stores throughout the mall will open at different times on Friday, mall officials said. If you're looking to stop at a specific store, you will want to call ahead to see specifically when they open. Some will be opening prior to 9 a.m.
• Amy Williams' column covers all the news of business along the Randall Road corridor from South Elgin to Batavia. Contact her at randallbiz@comcast.net or at (847) 894-5036.