DJs, deals and long hours: Malls promote experiences, exclusive deals for Black Friday shopping
Exclusivity, experience and access are some of the main draws regional malls are using to entice shoppers to come out in person to the retail frenzy that begins tonight and ends Black Friday.
Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont is highlighting the exclusive, in-store-only, deal-of-the-moment kind of sales outlets offer.
"You do actually have to come to the store to see what the stores are carrying and what those deals are," said Katie Walsh, senior marketing manager for the Fashion Outlets, which is hosting the fifth annual Fashionably Late shopping party from 10 p.m. Thanksgiving night through 10 p.m. Black Friday. "You have to come to the mall if you want to find these products or take advantage of the sales."
Fox Valley Mall in Aurora is offering a new experience with the opening of its renovated Center Park that creates an indoor parklike setting for music and family entertainment. The mall is set to be open from 6 tonight through 10 p.m. Black Friday, and although individual stores have the option to close from 1 to 8 a.m., at least 16 have committed to staying open.
"It transforms the center court of the mall into a very engaging green space ... creating this engaging, interactive environment," J. Scott Samson, senior general manager, said about the new Center Park, which is a roughly $7 million upgrade.
Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg is in the experience category, too, said Heather Lloyd, director of marketing and business development. The state's largest shopping mall is scheduled to scale back its overnight hours, but will be open 5 p.m. to midnight tonight and 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Black Friday.
"It's always an advantage to come to Woodfield," Lloyd said. "It's a tradition."
Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora is working to ensure access, with a traffic plan that involves the Illinois Department of Transportation and Aurora police to direct shoppers from all geographic corners to the best places to find parking at the popular destination.
Woodfield also is promoting easy access to stores and parking lots via the Woodfield mobile app. The app allows users to send a "ping" to their vehicle so they can easily remember - and find - where it is parked, Lloyd said, and it comes with a robust store directory that shows users where to walk within the behemoth space to find the shops they want to visit.
It all adds up to a retail environment that uses a variety of draws to promote the value of shopping during this unofficial launch of the holiday spending season.
Music is among the ways many malls work to create a "party" atmosphere that shoppers won't want to miss, managers say.
The Fashionably Late event at Fashion Outlets of Chicago will feature two female DJs taking turns spinning throughout the 24-hour event, Walsh said. A DJ also will be on hand at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora, which is staying open all night tonight into Black Friday with miniature fireplaces and heat lamps warming up its outdoor space, said Andy Dunn, director of marketing and business development.
"We're creating a real festive party atmosphere," Dunn said. "You can't really do it justice until you've experienced it."
Sale items, however, are kept close to the vest by individual retailers until each company decides it's the right moment to make its featured deals and products known, mall managers say.
That's another reason mall managers say it's best for shoppers to make the trek outside, burn off a few pumpkin pie calories and come see what shopping centers have to offer.
"People should expect the unexpected," Dunn said, "and come out ready to have a good time."