Westfarms Mall in West Hartford Announces Earlier Opening on Thanksgiving

It’s beginning to look a lot like Black Friday is becoming Black Thursday with more and more stores opening earlier than ever on Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday shopping season.

The Westfarms Mall announced on Thursday that it plans to open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) — two hours earlier than last year, according to NBC Connecticut.

Westfarms Mall General Manager Kevin Keenan said, via NBC Connecticut, that the mall’s hours of operation are “largely determined by our retailers based upon feedback from customers and the necessity to remain competitive in the marketplace. For example, all Macy’s and Lord & Taylor stores announced they will open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and JC Penney will open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving nationwide.”

Keenan also said that based on sales results from last year, “most retailers are embracing this earlier opening trend and want to be open to take advantage of the shopper demand at these times.”

Read more at NBC Connecticut here.

On the flipside, TIME reports that a slew of big-name retailers – Costco, Sam’s Club, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Dillard’s, Nordstrom, DSW, PetCo, GameStop, Burlington Coat Factory, Marshall’s, T.J. Maxx and others – have made a point of telling bargain hunters they won’t miss a thing if they stick around home.

• For the readers, do you plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day? Does a retailer’s decision to open on Thanksgiving change your buying habits there? Let us know in the comments below.

Related:

It’s On: Retailers Skirmish Over Thanksgiving Day ‘Black Friday’ Sale

West Hartford Macy’s Announces Earlier ‘Black Friday’ Opening

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