If you're serious about Black Friday shopping, chances are you've been plotting your strategy for weeks now. You've been setting your alarm clock at the crack of dawn just to get yourself in the habit of waking up at an ungodly hour so you can hit those insanely awesome early bird door buster sales when the big day arrives. Maybe you're planning on leaving the second Thanksgiving dinner is over to claim your spot in line outside the mall so you can be there at the stroke of midnight when the doors finally open. Or maybe, if you're really hard core, you're wondering which stores are open on Thanksgiving Day, just so you can be ahead of the pack when it comes to snagging the best deals. Hey, the early bird gets the worm, but only if the worm hasn't been picked up by some other bird who made it to the store yesterday, am I right? Why spend all day cooking when you could be shopping?
Call it brilliant marketing, call it the "war on Thanksgiving" — stores have been opening their doors earlier and earlier to attract crowds of super shoppers eager to get a head start on their holiday lists, and this year is no exception. So far, Kmart leads the pack with plans to open at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving morning and stay open for 42 straight hours, giving shoppers an entire extra day to start filling their carts, and J.C. Penney will kick off the holiday season at 5 p.m. Thanksgiving evening — three hours earlier than it did last year.
But not every retailer is looking to get ahead of the Black Friday curve this holiday season. More than two dozen stores — including Costco, T.J. Maxx, and Bed, Bath & Beyond — have announced their plans to stay closed on Thanksgiving day, giving customers and employees alike more time for friends, family, and turkey.
According to a recent Accenture survey, 45 percent of U.S. consumers report they plan on starting their shopping Thanksgiving day in one way or another, so maybe stores like Kmart are onto something. Interested in getting a head start yourself? Here's what you need to know.
Stores That Will Be Open On Thanksgiving Day:
- Best Buy: 5 p.m.
- Gap: 8 p.m. at select locations
- J.C. Penney: 5 p.m.
- Kmart: 6 a.m.
- Kohl's: 6 p.m.
- Macy's: 6 p.m.
- Meijer: 6 a.m.
- Old Navy: 4 p.m.
- Radio Shack: 8 a.m.
- Sears: 6 p.m.
- Staples: 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
- Target: 6 p.m.
- Toys 'R Us: 5 p.m.
- Walmart: Open all day
Stores that will stay closed:
- Barnes & Noble
- Bed, Bath and Beyond
- Burlington Coat Factory
- Costco
- DSW
- GameStop
- Marshalls
- Nordstrom
- T.J. Maxx
Keep checking back! We'll be updating as more stores announce their holiday hours.
Visit our Black Friday Explore page for more on shopping’s biggest day of the year.
