Target's Thanksgiving Day Shopping Is Back, Bigger

If nothing says "Thanksgiving" to your family like ferreting out the best bargain gifts, then plan to be at your local Target store by 6 p.m. on Nov. 24. The retailer has announced its Black Friday hours and deals, eschewing the move by some businesses to keep stores closed on the holiday.

This is the third consecutive year Target has opened its stores at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving night to grab a segment of the spending-spree holiday shoppers. Debate has been fierce in recent years as Black Friday spills over into Thanksgiving evening; some object to employees having to work that night, while some workers love getting paid double or triple time.

Target shoppers can find Black Friday deals online early at Target.com and at all stores via Cartwheel on Wednesday, Nov. 23, as the chain works to boost its share of the online market. Starting early Thanksgiving morning, consumers can shop all of Target’s Black Friday deals online with free shipping or when stores open at 6 p.m. on Nov. 24, the company announced Wednesday.

Target’s stores chief Janna Potts defended the 6 p.m. opening time, saying it works based on the positive response from customers and workers and that it boosts sales.

“Shopping on the evening of Thanksgiving really has become an activity for the entire family to enjoy,” Potts said on a media call.

The pushback on Thanksgiving shopping has dozens of national stores vowing to keeps their doors closed on Thanksgiving 2016. Those taking the day off from the Nov. 24 shopping frenzy include Apple, Barnes & Noble, Burlington Coat Factory, DSW, Nordstrom and T.J. Maxx.

And in a change from past years, the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, will stay shuttered on Thanksgiving and open at 5 a.m. on Black Friday. The mall has been open on Thanksgiving Day since 2012, but mall officials told The Associated Press they want to offer workers time with their families on the holiday.

Target is bringing back its “10 Days of Deals” promotion, which runs Nov. 19 through Nov. 28. The promotion boosted comparable sales by 5 percent on those days last year, Fortune reports.

Retailing experts are waiting to see if the change of heart by the country’s largest mall will prompt other retailers to do the same. So far, BestBlackFriday.com says more than 40 stores will be closed on Thanksgiving — see the full updated list below, which has grown.

Three states — Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine — have laws that require stores to close on holidays.

National retailers that will open on Thanksgiving include Best Buy, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Sears and Walmart. Hours for Thanksgiving and Black Friday have not yet been announced by all of the chains yet, although Macy's will open at 5 p.m. that day and Kohl's is scheduled for a 6 p.m. opening.

Consumers are ready to buy, and one forecaster expects sales in November and December to increase a healthy 3.6 percent to $655.8 billion, says the National Retail Federation. That’s significantly higher than the 10-year average of 2.5 percent and above the seven-year average of 3.4 percent since recovery began in 2009. Online sales should increase between 7 and 10 percent to as much as $117 billion.

Here is the updated BestBlackFriday.com and TheBlackFriday.com list of stores closed on Thanksgiving:

• A.C. Moore (Allow employees to spend time with family)
• AAFES
• Academy Sports + Outdoors
• American Girl
• AT&T
• Barnes & Noble
• Bed Bath & Beyond (Select locations)
• BJ’s Wholesale Club
• Blain’s Farm & Fleet
• Burlington Coat Factory
• Cabela’s (Retail closed; call centers open)
• Christmas Tree Shops (Select locations)
• Costco
• Crate and Barrel
• Dillard’s (Allow employees to spend time with family)
• DSW
• Fred Meyer
• GameStop (5 a.m. Black Friday opening)
• Gardner-White Furniture (8 a.m. Black Friday opening)
• Guitar Center
• Half Price Books
• Hhgregg
• Harbor Freight
• Hobby Lobby
• Home Depot
• HomeGoods
• IKEA
• Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores
• Jos. A. Bank
• Lowe’s
• Mall of America
• Marshalls
• Mattress Firm
• Menards
• Mills Fleet Farm
• Navy Exchange
• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom (non-store employees working)
• Nordstrom Rack
• Office Depot and Office Max
• Original Mattress Factory
• Outdoor Research
• P.C. Richard & Son
• Patagonia
• Petco
• PetSmart
• Pier 1 Imports
• Publix
• Raymour and Flanagan Furniture (8 a.m. Black Friday opening)
• REI
• Sam’s Club
• Sierra Trading Post
• Staples
• The Container Store
• T.J. Maxx
• Tractor Supply
• Von Maur (9 a.m. Black Friday opening)

»Patch file photo