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.
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's 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 begun earlier and earlier each year, with some stores promoting Christmas sales before Halloween.
Customers reported seeing holiday merchandise in stand-alone department and specialty stores especially early in Maryland this year, including Hobby Lobby, which put out Christmas crafting supplies starting in July, Dollar General, which publicized a “Christmas in July” sale, and Kohl’s, which has experienced backlash from customers on its Facebook page for its early Christmas displays.
“It’s like you can at least wait til after Halloween,” one person wrote on the company’s national Facebook page.
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In Maryland, mall displays, such as the Poinsettia Tree at the Mall in Columbia will continue to open in early November as they have in previous years.
At Towson Town Center and White Marsh Mall, the Santa display and other holiday decor will also go up during the first two weeks of November.
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A Kmart commercial that began airing Sept. 8 urges customers to shop early for “free layaway” and to not “let the holidays sneak up on you,” ABC News reported.
Kmart has defended its early advertising, saying its 2013 holiday advertising went along with a layaway program it was promoting in September.
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