×

Ready, set, shop!

Deck the malls with boughs of holly

Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center marketing and event coordinator Michele Feorene carries poinsettia plants while decorating the center’s Santa photo station with marketing director Toni Rojas on Friday morning in Kahului. Santa is scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m. Saturday. He’ll be available for photos during business hours through Dec. 24. -- The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

Local retailers and the marketing director of Maui’s most popular shopping mall are hoping Maui residents will shop at brick-and-mortar stores rather than online this holiday season.

“I think everyone knows we got to support our local businesses; that’s really important especially as those local businesses are our family, friends and neighbors who work there. We can to keep them employed,” said Toni Rojas, marketing director of Queen Ka’ahumanu Center.

There are “special deals right on island, you don’t have to order online.”

“It’s all right here; you don’t have to pay for shipping,” Rojas added.

The bulk of Americans, 115 million, in a survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics say they will shop on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It is known as the day when stores offer deep discounts to lure shoppers, although deals can still be found online as well.

Creative Encounters Hawaii owner Shannon Loo helps decorate at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center on Friday. -- The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

But there are still a lot, or 78 million Americans, who say they will shop on Cyber Monday, the Monday following Thanksgiving. It is when online retailers up the ante and offer discounts.

Those 78 million shoppers on Cyber Monday are more than the 32 million Americans who plan to shop on Thanksgiving and the 71 million who say they plan to shop on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, also known as Small Business Saturday, according to data from the National Retail Federation. That Saturday emphasizes shopping at local smaller businesses.

Local business ONE Eighty MAUI, which sells mostly locally designed shirts and hats at Ka’ahumanu Center, also encourages shopping in person.

Sales associate and designer Brendan Smith said some designs of shirts are only available at the store and cannot be found online.

Smith said photos of some products from the 808 ALL DAY clothing and Hawaii lifestyle brand are not even featured on the store’s social media feeds and can only be viewed in the store.

An ukulele-playing Christmas turtle hangs out at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center. -- The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

“I would encourage people to come out,” he said.

Smith said beginning Sunday, the store will start to hand out tickets so people do not have to wait too long to get into the store when it opens for its special sales at 8 p.m. Thursday, which is Thanksgiving.

Last year, there were around 150 lining up to get in, he said.

“You can expect more of the same this year,” Smith added.

Rojas said the number of open stores Thanksgiving Day at the center is “about the same” as last year.

In past years, stores began opening on the holiday, but there was some pushback by employees and consumers, especially nationally, prompting some retailers to allow their employees to stay home with their families. Other businesses, however, even local ones, stayed open on Thanksgiving to be competitive.

This year, 16 retailers, along with Starbucks and Koho’s Grill & Bar, will be open on Thanksgiving at Ka’ahumanu Center during various times. Anchor store Macy’s will open at 5 p.m., and the other anchor, Sears, will open its doors at 6 p.m. Most retailers will close at midnight or early Friday morning. They will then all reopen at 6 a.m. Friday, Rojas said.

Forever 21, a trendy clothing store for teens and young women, will be open from 6 p.m. Thanksgiving through 9 p.m. Friday.

As usual, the mall will have a gift giveaway to the first 500 shoppers at 6 a.m. There will be door prizes and entertainment and a live radio remote by KPOA from 6 to 9 a.m.

For more information, see queenkaahumanucenter.com.

In West Maui, the Outlets of Maui will begin its “Midnight Madness” at 12 a.m. Friday, just a few hours after Thanksgiving’s pumpkin pie.

The center will feature a “Pajama Jam,” during which the first 200 pajama-wearing shoppers will receive a free swag bag, with complimentary gift items, coupons and discounts from center stores. The giveaway begins at the Banyan Tree Court at midnight.

The outlets predicted having the “best-of-the-season sales” and limited-time-only discounts throughout the night.

The Shops at Wailea will have Black Friday festivities with a 9:30 a.m. gift bag giveaway with offers from the mall’s stores and restaurants. There will be 250 bags given away at the mall’s upper level near the lululemon store. Santa’s arrival and festivities will begin at 10 a.m. with Maui Classic Cruisers and Street Bikers United Hawaii, Maui Chapter, at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf entrance. There will be entertainment thought the day.

Special Thanksgiving and Black Friday hours for other major retailers include:

• Walmart, opening at 6 p.m. Thursday.

• Target, opening at 6 p.m. Thursday, closing at midnight, reopening at 6 a.m. Friday.

• Home Depot, opening at 6 a.m. Friday.

• Lowe’s, opening at 6 a.m. Friday.

Unlike years past, Walmart is not staggering its deals throughout Thursday and Friday.

But at Lowe’s, store Manager Tyson Sacks said it will be selling Samsung televisions on Black Friday, which is a new door buster.

He said the sale is part of doing different things and providing for customers. He did not disclose prices.

Maui Mall offers a different shopping experience from Ka’ahumanu Center and the Outlets of Maui. Most of its stores will be closed Thanksgiving, a spokeswoman said. The mall will have regular hours on Black Friday.

On Black Friday, the mall will begin its “Ice Skating in Paradise,” which runs from 3 to 9 p.m. through Dec. 17.

A 1,200-square-foot “pop-up” rink will be in the mall’s center court, where the water fountain is located.

The Maui Mall and Bank of Hawaii are sponsoring the skating with 12 nonprofit organizations providing the volunteers to staff the skating rink.

The $5 cash-only admission cost includes skate rental and skating for 25 minutes. Admission is free for children ages 5 and younger. Clean socks are required.

Registration will begin at 2:30 p.m. each day, with wristbands handed out for specific 25-minute periods. An ice skating instructor will be on hand to give free introductory lessons.

Back at Ka’ahumanu Center, it will be snowing again with snowlike bubbles falling from the center’s rafters along with festive music. The “Let it Snow” shows will be at 6:30 and 8 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from Dec. 2 through 23. In its first year last year, the program drew more than 24,000 people, according to an estimate.

Rojas said the early shows will feature holiday music aimed for children, while the 8 p.m. show will feature holiday music from different genres, such as classic rock, Christmas divas and Hawaii Christmas music.

A highlight will be the night of Dec. 5, when Grammy award-winner Kalani Pe’a of Maui will sing live underneath the snow, Rojas said.

Just as they did last year, nonprofit volunteers, known as Jingle Ambassadors, will pass out hot chocolate courtesy of Starbucks. The nonprofits will do outreach, educate and fundraise during the event. This year, however, the nonprofits will sell $10 LED snowflake wands and headbands.

Volunteer spots have been filled for this year, Rojas said.

For its efforts with the nonprofits in 2016, the center was awarded the International Council of Shopping Centers 2017 Gold MAXI Award. The award was given in the traditional marketing/cause-event marketing category.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper?
     
Support Local Journalism on Maui

Only $99/year

Subscribe Today