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CNBC reports that mall eateries like Auntie Anne's pretzels and Cinnabon are cashing in on hordes of hungry Gray Thursday and Black Friday shoppers. Fast-food stops are following retailers and expanding their holiday hours so that they can cater to late-night and early-morning crowds.
The president of Auntie Anne's said that the pretzel shop "saw the highest volume Black Friday week on record" in 2011 when most of the stores in its fleet opened on Thanksgiving night between 10pm and midnight. This year, they'll push openings to 8pm, meaning staff will have to arrive to malls by 6 or 7pm on Thanksgiving day.
Cinnabon, meanwhile, finds the holiday shopping months of November and December so crucial to year-end sales that it's named the period Jollybon. The baked goods company is encouraging its franchisees to follow the ever-earlier opening dates of malls across the country.
· Restaurants target Thanksgiving shoppers...will they bite? [CNBC]
· Nordstrom Will Yet Again Let Employees Have Their Thanksgiving [Racked]
· Target, Best Buy To Go Head-to-Head on Gray Thursday [Racked]
· These 250+ National Malls Will Open on Thanksgiving Day [Racked]
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