Business & Tech

Macy's Breaks Rank: Opens on Thanksgiving Day

Macy's is all about Thanksgiving, and now it wants to own the day for shopping.

Danna Walker, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

Macy's is hoping you watch its Thanksgiving Day Parade and then head to its stores to kick off the holiday shopping season.

The American retail stalwart will open on Thanksgiving Day this year for the first time in 150 years.

Many of the company'sĀ department stores will open at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 28, including all Macy's locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

In the Black Friday tradition, the stores will offer specials geared toward specific times during the night. It's not clear how late the stores will remain open.

A news release said the store wants to make holiday shopping as "enjoyable and convenient for everyone" as possible.

Winter holiday shopping promotions have begunĀ earlier and earlier each year, with some stores promoting Christmas sales before Halloween.

Customers reported seeingĀ holiday merchandise in stand-alone department and specialty stores especially earlyĀ in Maryland this year,Ā includingĀ Hobby Lobby, which put out Christmas crafting supplies starting in July,Ā Dollar General, which publicized a ā€œChristmas in Julyā€ sale,Ā and Kohlā€™s, which has experiencedĀ backlash from customers on its Facebook pageĀ for its early Christmas displays.

ā€œItā€™s like you can at least wait til after Halloween,ā€Ā one person wrote on the companyā€™s national Facebook page.

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In Maryland, mall displays, such as the Poinsettia Tree at the Mall in Columbia willĀ continueĀ to open in early November as they have in previous years.

AtĀ Towson Town Center and White Marsh Mall,Ā the Santa display and other holiday decorĀ will also go up during the first two weeks of November.

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Retailers are also beginning to air Christmas television ads.

A Kmart commercial that began airing Sept. 8 urges customers to shop early for ā€œfree layawayā€ and to not ā€œlet the holidays sneak up on you,ā€Ā ABC News reported.

Kmart has defended its early advertising, saying itsĀ 2013 holiday advertisingĀ went along with a layaway program it was promoting in September.

For reader reaction on the early promotions, go here, and add your two cents in the comments by scrolling down this page.

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