NEW YORK (AP) - Target Corp. will open its
doors at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving, three hours earlier than a year ago, to
kick off the holiday shopping season.
The discounter joins
several other major retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., that are
opening earlier in the evening on the holiday and staggering deals over
the two-day period. Over the years, stores have been expanding their
hours on Black Friday to get ahead of the competition, but the kickoff
is increasingly happening right after shoppers finish their turkey
feast.
"We thought long and hard
about when the right opening time would be," said Kathee Tesija,
Target's executive vice president of merchandising. She said that 9 p.m.
struck "a perfect balance" for its customers.
Target, based in
Minneapolis, plans to offer deals that include an Apex 32-inch LCD TV
for $147 and a Nikon digital camera for $99.99 for the earlier opening.
From 4 a.m. to noon, the next day, customers who spend $50 or more on
clothing, accessories or home products will earn a $10 Target gift card
to use toward a future purchase. Target is also preparing additional
early morning specials, including Leapfrog Explorer software for $15.
Wal-Mart said last week it
will begin its holiday sale at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, two hours earlier
than last year. It then will have two more rounds of sales events
including a 10 p.m. sale on electronics and another sale at 5 a.m. the
next day.
Sears Holdings Corp. said
its Sears stores will open at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day and will stay open
overnight until 10 p.m. Friday. Last year Sears stores were closed on
Thanksgiving. The company's Kmart stores have been open on Thanksgiving
for years.
Lord & Taylor's, which
was closed on Thanksgiving last year, has decided to open its New York
flagship on the holiday. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Kohl's Corp. and Macy's
Inc. will again throw open their doors at midnight, following
Thanksgiving. J.C. Penney plans to announce its Black Friday promotions
on Monday.
File photo (MGN)
