Black Friday Lowdown

It comes every year, with deep discounts, special shopping hours and crowds of consumers searching for presents for friends and loved ones — and maybe for themselves.

Black Friday has become such an event that it isn’t even limited to the day after Thanksgiving anymore; many stores begin their special sales on Thanksgiving and extend them through the post-Thanksgiving weekend. 

Personal finance and ranking website WalletHub has lists of the best gift cards, best places to shop on Black Friday and the types of merchandise that are likely to have the deepest discounts.

WalletHub’s five best gift cards, ranked in order, are Disney (which has a store at Tanger Outlets), iTunes, Visa, Target and Walmart.

Among WalletHub’s best places to shop — based on surveys of nearly 7,000 deals from 35 of the largest U.S. retailers — are JCPenney, Stage (including Bealls), Payless ShoeSource and New York & Company (which has a location at Premium Outlets). And although many categories of merchandise are likely to be discounted for Black Friday, WalletHub estimates that jewelry, books, movies, music, consumer packaged goods and video game software will have the biggest discounts.

The Tanger Outlets and Premium Outlets will have special shopping hours beginning at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving. Both malls will stay open overnight, closing to shoppers again Friday night. According to a press release from its parent company, Premium Outlets will also offer special hours after Black Friday and throughout December. Individual store hours may vary.

Stores at both malls are offering special discounts. New deals are posted daily at Tanger Outlet's website; Tanger stores currently offering special discounts include GNC, Reebok, Le Creuset, Calvin Klein, Old Navy and more. Tanger also offers coupon books for AARP members, discounts for AAA members, and coupon books for police, fire and rescue workers, and U.S. or Canadian military personnel or their family members who present a current military ID at Shopper Services.

San Marcos Premium Outlets offers a savings passport to its VIP Shopper Club members; membership information can be found at Premium Outlets' VIP website or at Guest Services at the mall. VIP members and military personnel receive free VIP Savings Passports when they present ID at Guest Services at the mall. Individual retailers at Premium Outlets offer military discounts to shoppers with a valid military ID. Stores with the patriotic star on their windows — including Asics, Brooks Brothers, Cole Haan, DKNY, Perry Ellis, Samsonit, Yankee Candle, Zales and more — offer discounts. 

Local first responders will increase their presence around the outlet malls over the weekend. And, as usual for Black Friday weekend, traffic control on the interstate will have some exits closed. The southbound exit ramp at Centerpoint Road will be closed from noon Thursday until 11 p.m. Friday. The northbound McCarty Lane exit will be closed from noon Thursday until 6 p.m. Saturday, according to a press release form the city. Motorists going southbound on the interstate will need to exit at McCarty Lane, and those traveling northbound will need to exit at Centerpoint Road. 

Tanger and Premium Outlets are offering free parking and shuttle service from 5:30 p.m. to midnight on Thursday and from 12:01 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. on Friday. The shuttle will pick up at San Marcos High School, 2601 Rattler Road, and take shoppers and outlet employees to San Marcos Premium Outlets and Tanger Outlets with options of stopping at four different locations at the outlet malls, according to the city.

For more information about holiday hours and special deals at the malls, visit Tanger Outlet's website and Premium Outlets' website.