By Tess Stynes
Toys "R" Us Inc. and Target Corp. (TGT) on Monday unveiled plans
to open doors to holiday shoppers on Thanksgiving Day, joining a
growing list of retailers aiming to extend the much-hyped so-called
Black-Friday buying frenzy in the U.S.
Target, the nation's second-largest retailer by sales behind
rival Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), plans to open its stores at 8
p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, while some other retailers have plans to
open even earlier in efforts to attract shoppers.
Also on Monday, Toys "R" Us said it plans to open most of its
stores at 5 p.m. on Nov. 28, adding that its reward-card members
will be able to get some Thanksgiving deals ahead of the holiday on
Nov. 27.
Best Buy Co. (BBY) on Thursday said more than 1,000 of its
stores will open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
In recent weeks, Kohl's Corp. (KSS), Macy's Inc. (M) and
OfficeMax Inc. (OMX) also have said many of their stores will open
at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Meanwhile, Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) said most of its Sears
and Kmart stores will open Thanksgiving Day, with Sears stores
opening at 8 p.m. and Kmart stores opening at 6 a.m. and staying
open for 41 hours straight through Black Friday.
Retailers in recent years have been trying to get a jump on
deeply discounted Black Friday shopping by opening on Thanksgiving,
in an effort to boost struggling sales during the slow economic
recovery. Traditional brick-and-mortar companies are also trying to
keep up with online retailers, which offer Thanksgiving-Day
deals.
Last year, despite an outcry from some employees and
traditionalists, national chains including Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart,
Target and Sears opened doors on Thanksgiving Thursday. Best Buy,
along with Macy's and Kohl's, waited until midnight.
Write to Tess Stynes at tess.stynes@wsj.com
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