Yakima, Wash. — Just when I thought I couldn’t start work any earlier on Thanksgiving...
Toys R Us plans to open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving night along with Walmart and Sears. Target, which opened at midnight last year, will open an hour later, at 9 p.m.
Toys R Us has opened earlier than other retailers in the past — last year it opened at 9 p.m. —so their earlier time wasn’t surprising. Target, however, opened at midnight last year, so the 9 p.m. opening is a big leap for the Minneapolis-based retailer.
Doing everything earlier appears to be the mantra for retailers this holiday season. Being competitive means doing things like pushing up opening times or giving an early reveal of all or part of the Black Friday circular.
In a conference call Monday to business reporters, Ellen Davis, senior vice president for the National Retail Federation, a retail trade organization, noted that many retailers are responding to the increased competition of online retailers, who have often offered deals on Thanksgiving Day. Retailers, she said, are also trying to draw young adults who would prefer to stay up late to shop rather than wake up early the next day.
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Now it’s time to give my yearly pitch.
I really enjoyed hearing your stories and looking at your photos of all the shopping activity last year.
So let’s do it again.
If you’re on Twitter, send me your reports by tweeting with the hashtag #yakblack12. You can also use the same hashtag to tag your Instagram photos as well (I’ll be using that myself). You can also post your stories on the Shop Talk Facebook page or email them to me. As I’ve done in past years, I’ll compile all your reports, photos and tweets, along with my coverage, into one package.