Of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday

Well, here we go.

Thursday is Thanksgiving, when we celebrate all that we have, followed by Black Friday, the traditional kickoff to the Christmas season when retailers try to convince us we need so much more. That, in turn, is followed by Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.

I’ve been gathering information on much of it, and offer you what I’ve gleaned:

Best Buy, one of the biggest players in the Black Friday game (the place where we generally find campers in line waiting for deals) will open at 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, then close at 1 a.m. Friday before reopening at 8 a.m. A quick scan of the preview ad spokeswoman Boua Xiong sent me shows that flat-screen television sets are once again front and center. There are also some $8 movies and a Kindle Fire for $33.33.

Vintage Faire Mall, as I reported previously, follows at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. Kohl’s and Target also plan 6 p.m. openings.

If shopping isn’t your thing, you can take advantage of a new program offered by the Save the Redwoods League, California State Parks and the California State Parks Foundation. They are promoting Green Friday and will offer free vehicle day-use passes to 13,000 visitors to state parks on a first-come, first-served basis.

Among the more unusual Black Friday pitches I got this week was one from On the Border Mexican restaurant, which is commemorating the day with half-price margaritas. It seems as though that could be a genius idea for folks who have had their fill of fighting store crowds. Alas, the nearest On the Border to us is in Elk Grove.

Small Business Saturday, an idea first hatched by American Express, also has gained momentum in recent years. This is an effort among merchants to emphasize the importance of shopping local.

More information is available at the American Express website, or you can just stop in at a retailer. One hub of locally owned stores, Modesto’s McHenry Village, will open up its Santa’s Village and host free carriage rides. Details are available at the center’s Facebook page.

Finally, Nov. 21 is considered Cyber Monday, a time when everyone comes back to work and – theoretically – spends some of that time shopping online.

According to a survey from the staffing firm Robert Half technology, 49 percent of “professionals” admit to shopping from work on Cyber Monday. And though 19 percent of workplaces block shopping sites, folks get around that by using their phones.

However you decide to celebrate the upcoming holiday weekend – in a mall, at a park or sitting around the table with friends and family – I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am grateful for all of my readers and for all of the tips and questions you guys send me on new and old business in the area. Keep them coming!

This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 3:42 PM with the headline "Of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday."