By Derek Spellman and Andy Ostmeyer

news@joplinglobe.com

Retailers hope Black Friday will make them money. Consumers hope it will save them money.

The two sides are laying out battle plans with a week to go.

“If you are willing to go on the hunt, you can save a bundle, but you have to do your research,” Penny Smart, of Joplin, said of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when Christmas shopping becomes a hell-for-leather ride.

She outlines when and where she needs to be at each store, based on the hours the stores open and the times when they are offering deals.

“Some places open at 3 a.m.; others have door busters until 10 a.m.,” Smart said.

She also scours ads, whether in newspapers or online.

“That is something me and my family do on Thanksgiving Day,” she said. “We sit around and we take all the ads out, and we pass it from one person to the next.”

Retailers, too, are devising strategies, laying out advertising blitzes and “door busters” to lure shoppers. And all stores are prepping for marathon hours.

Northpark Mall in Joplin actually opens at 5 a.m. on Nov. 27, but some retailers will have put in the better part of a day’s work by then.

“Bath and Body is going to open at midnight,” said Dewayne Patton, general manager of the mall.

Old Navy will open at 3 a.m.; Sears and J.C. Penney will open at 4 a.m.; and Macy’s will open at 5 a.m.

The mall will extend its hours the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and then for a while will revert to regular hours. On Dec. 12, “We’ll go into full mode holiday shopping,” Patton said. The mall will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

‘Door busters’