Tag Archives: thanksgiving

Poll: What are your Black Friday plans?

The National Retail Federation predicts more than 137 million Americans will shop during Thanksgiving weekend, topping last year’s retail frenzy.

But here in the newsroom the buildup to Black Friday has felt noticeably muted this fall.

Typically we’re inundated by press releases from retailers in November. E-mails pour in from big chain retailers touting extended hours and price-slashing sprees. Local shops give us friendly prods for coverage of Small Business Saturday. Online sellers send constant Cyber Monday reminders.

This year we’ve received a smattering of those promotions, but not the typical deluge. So we’re interested hearing your take on Black Friday.

Have the deals been hyped as much this year as in years past? Is shopping a part of your Thanksgiving week tradition? Do you have other ways you prefer to spend your post-turkey holiday?

Let us know by taking our poll (you can pick more than one answer) or dropping a comment below. And whatever your plans, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

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Gas prices remain low for Thanksgiving travel

Tad Sooter

Drivers headed out of town for the holiday will pay a tad more for a tank of gas this year than they did last Thanksgiving.

A gallon of regular gasoline was selling for an average of $2.58 in Kitsap County on Monday, according to AAA. That was up slightly from an average of $2.46 on the same day of 2015.

Nationally, gas prices are still much lower this fall than they were just a couple of years ago:

Gas tends to cost less this time of year and an abundance of crude oil on the global market is helping keep retail prices in check.

AAA projects 43.5 million Americans will take road trips for Thanksgiving this week.

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Kitsap Mall Santa is taking reservations

Tad Sooter

Getting a picture taken with Santa Claus at the mall is a beloved holiday tradition.

Waiting in long lines with squirmy youngsters to see Santa is not.

This year the Kitsap Mall Santa is giving parents an early Christmas present in the form of an online reservation system.

Shoppers can register in advance for time slots with Santa by logging onto mysantaexperience.com, according to a news release. Reservations require the purchase of a photo package, which start at about $35.

Santa arrives at the mall Nov. 14, and will stick around through Christmas Eve. A special “Paws with Claus” night is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Nov. 19, so “well-mannered” pets can have their picture taken with the jolly elf. WorldWide Photography will have a regular family portrait area set up adjacent to Santa’s court.

In other mall news, the Silverdale shopping center will be open from 6 p.m. to midnight on Thanksgiving day, and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Black Friday. The opening of H&M, initially slated for November, has been pushed to Dec. 17.

You can find more holiday event information on Kitsap Mall’s Facebook page.