Chesterfield Expands Operating Hours for Retailers on Black Friday

Chesterfield retailers will now be able to officially open their doors early for avid Black Friday shoppers this year.

The Chesterfield City Council amended the ordinances that govern operating hours to allow for businesses to have extended hours during the Thanksgiving holiday. Chesterfield's Director of Community Services and Economic Development Libbey Malberg-Tucker said the move was necessary due to the rising popularity of 4 a.m. openings (or even earlier) at the area's major retailers, such as Best Buy, Walmart and Target. 

 "Black Friday was a bit of an issue last year," she said. "A lot of businesses opened at midnight ... and our ordinances didn't allow for that."

In previous years, business could be hit with tickets and fines for violating the ordinance, but Malberg-Tucker said judges would "look the other way" if it occurred on Black Friday.

The amended ordinance now allows for stores to apply for a permit if they wish to hold extended holiday hours. For more information, visit the city's planning department website.