SALISBURY — The rules of Black Friday etiquette that stores must follow seem to change every year.

Until several years ago, it was rare for a store to open on Thanksgiving Day. Then slowly, that idea eroded, and stores began opening on Thanksgiving night.

Now, many stores are open even earlier on Thanksgiving. Belk, for example, will open at 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. Best Buy will open at 5 p.m.

Big Lots and Bass Pro Shop will be open at 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Thanksgiving Day, respectively.

This means that if families choose to stay home on Thanksgiving, the incentive to shop at those stores on Black Friday is much less. By Friday, Thanksgiving Day sale hunters may have already scored all the best deals.

Many shoppers have turned to Cyber Monday, according to holiday polls by Ipsos and Google. The polls, taken in October and November, showed that 71 percent of holiday shoppers planned to shop on Cyber Monday.

The same polls said that 69 percent planned to shop on Black Friday and 49 percent planned to shop on Thanksgiving.

And 57 percent planned to shop on Small Business Saturday — a holiday that Rowan Chamber of Commerce President Elaine Spalding hopes people will give more consideration this year.

“We’ve been promoting it for several years … since 86 percent of businesses have fewer than 20 employees all over Rowan County,” Spalding said.

Downtown Salisbury Inc.’s Holiday Night Out — which is 5 to 9 p.m. Friday — might serve as a bridge between Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

Downtown Salisbury promotions coordinator Kaitlin Rice said the promotion will be the “kickoff for the holiday season” for downtown businesses and that it will be a  different experience from traditional Black Friday shopping.

“It’s a stress-free environment; it’s friendly; it’s welcoming. And that’s what I think shopping local always is,” Rice said.

In addition to having downtown shops open until 9 p.m., Holiday Night Out will feature a “winter wonderland” on East Fisher Street.

That will include a bounce house, hot chocolate, an ornament making station and live music. There will also be carolers roaming around downtown.

“Families really seem to like the intimacy of local shopping, especially with extra activities that we offer. It’s a win-win for everybody,” Rice said.

For those who have their eye on a specific item for their child or loved one at a big-box store, shopping on Thanksgiving Day may still seem like the best option.

According to the holiday Ipsos poll, Walmart, Target and Kohl’s are the biggest retailers that holiday shoppers focus on. All of those stores will be open on Thanksgiving Day.

Walmart will open at 6 p.m., Target at 6 p.m. and Kohl’s at 5 p.m.

The most popular gifts, according to the poll, are clothing, electronics and gift cards.

For more information about what stores will be open on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, visit blackfriday.com/black-Friday-store-hours.

For more information about Downtown Salisbury’s Holiday Night Out, visit downtownsalisburync.com/holiday-night-out.

Contact reporter Jessica Coates at 704-797-4222.