Macy’s Extends 24-Hour Holiday Shopping

Raising the bar for other retailers, Macy’s last week announced that most of its stores will be open continuously in the 48 hours leading up to Christmas Eve.

Starting Dec. 21 at 7 a.m., most Macy’s stores around the country will stay open for 48 hours straight as part of its last "One Day Sale" of the season. And 57 stores will welcome customers for another 24 hours after that up until Christmas Eve. Of those 57, 34 will remain open until 2 a.m. on Christmas Eve.

"For the first time ever, Macy’s will keep most stores open around the clock for the last weekend of holiday shopping, an expansion of our successful marathon that began at select stores in 2006," said Peter Sachse, Macy’s chief stores officer, in a statement. "We hope to make it easy for our customers across the country to finish their shopping at any time of day or night, and with the benefit of the great deals and value they count on from our One Day Sale events."

Last year, only 14 of Macy’s roughly 800 stores received the ultra-extended-hour treatment, opening for 83 hours straight beginning Dec. 21. In addition, 27 were open until 2 a.m. on those same three nights, although closed in the later hours. Macy’s began its 24-hour holiday-shopping hours with its Queens Center location in New York in 2006.

Other retailers are also expected to offer extended hours. Last year, Toys ‘R’ Us stayed open for 112 consecutive hours leading up to Christmas Eve but has not yet announced its holiday hours this year.

Extended hours, including some stores opening for the first time on Thanksgiving, is said by some to have boosted sales over Black Friday weekend to help launch the holiday shopping season. Others argue that extended hours only lead to earlier rather than incremental sales overall and also lead to extra costs and strain on staff.

But rather than the deal-hunter, the extended hours around Christmas Eve is positioned as a convenience for last-minute shoppers.

Speaking to St. Louis Today, Macy’s spokeswoman Andrea Schwartz said some shoppers come in wearing Santa hats and other festive garb to make the late night shopping expedition an occasion. But the extended hours also offer a convenience for many last-minute buyers, some of whom are taking care of children all day or working irregular hours. She added, "And whether it’s a right thing or not, we’ll often see people pushing their babies in carriages."

• Macy’s Opens for 48-Hours Straight Nationwide for Last-Minute Shoppers the Weekend Before Christmas – Macy’s
• Macy’s Holiday Gift to Shoppers: Staying Open 48 Hours Straight – Bloomberg News/Bloomberg Businessweek
• Retailers Feeling Pressure for Longer Store Hours, as Macy’s Announces 48-Hour Openings – ABC News
• Retailers Feeling Pressure for Longer Store Hours, as Macy’s Announces 48-Hour Openings – Bloomberg News/100 WAPI
• Retailers bring Black Friday-like hours to December – St. Louis Today
• Macy’s plans to stay open for 48 hours straight – MSN Money