The holiday shopping season normally begins with the early morning deals of 'Black Friday.'
This year, some stores are getting a head start by opening on Thanksgiving Day.
WFFT spoke with managers at stores here in Fort Wayne.
The rush to be first is now moving forward onto Thanksgiving Thursday.
Officials at stores like Target and Meijer say they're responding to customer demands.
It used to be Black Friday- the chaos of one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Many retailers are now trying to jump the gun, starting the deals on Thanksgiving Thursday.
"So last year we opened at midnight, and what we've noticed is guests kind of want to get in before that. Before they necessarily go to bed. It might be after they eat their Thanksgiving, maybe watch a little football... They'll come in and do their shopping right away," local Target manager Brad Granger says.
Target stores nationally open at nine tomorrow evening.
Granger says they'll do their best door busters then, with other deals into the traditional Black Friday hours.
He says that's when they expect rush to be its busiest.
"There will definitely be a line around our store, so get here early if you want those door buster items, because there will be a line," Granger says.
Over at Meijer, area stores are open on Thanksgiving as well.
Lima store director Scott Hoffman says they are always open 24 hours, even through the holiday- which means their holiday deals begin in the morning.
"There are specific items that we might have limited quantities on that we might have lines for, so people are able to line up for those items as really early as they want," Hoffman says.
Hoffman says Meijer has stayed open on Thanksgiving for the past ten years.
He says he thinks with the pressure of online sales, most retailers want to be open and available first.
"I think that obviously everybody is out to get in the game as early as possible, but we haven't really changed our strategy, we've been doing this for several years now," Hoffman says.
Other major stores opening early include Walmart, sears and Kmart, with many more opening at midnight or early Friday.
There are also lots of local and regional stores in the area also opening late Thursday or early Friday.
Thursday:
Meijer - 6am (24 hours)
Kmart - 6am
Walmart - 8pm (24 hours)
Sears - 8pm
Target - 9pm
Friday:
Best Buy - 12am
Macy's - 12am
JC Penny - 6am
Glenbrook Square - 6am, some retailers at midnight
Jefferson Pointe - 12am
If you have any updates or times for local stores, please let us know!
This year, some stores are getting a head start by opening on Thanksgiving Day.
WFFT spoke with managers at stores here in Fort Wayne.
The rush to be first is now moving forward onto Thanksgiving Thursday.
Officials at stores like Target and Meijer say they're responding to customer demands.
It used to be Black Friday- the chaos of one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Many retailers are now trying to jump the gun, starting the deals on Thanksgiving Thursday.
"So last year we opened at midnight, and what we've noticed is guests kind of want to get in before that. Before they necessarily go to bed. It might be after they eat their Thanksgiving, maybe watch a little football... They'll come in and do their shopping right away," local Target manager Brad Granger says.
Target stores nationally open at nine tomorrow evening.
Granger says they'll do their best door busters then, with other deals into the traditional Black Friday hours.
He says that's when they expect rush to be its busiest.
"There will definitely be a line around our store, so get here early if you want those door buster items, because there will be a line," Granger says.
Over at Meijer, area stores are open on Thanksgiving as well.
Lima store director Scott Hoffman says they are always open 24 hours, even through the holiday- which means their holiday deals begin in the morning.
"There are specific items that we might have limited quantities on that we might have lines for, so people are able to line up for those items as really early as they want," Hoffman says.
Hoffman says Meijer has stayed open on Thanksgiving for the past ten years.
He says he thinks with the pressure of online sales, most retailers want to be open and available first.
"I think that obviously everybody is out to get in the game as early as possible, but we haven't really changed our strategy, we've been doing this for several years now," Hoffman says.
Other major stores opening early include Walmart, sears and Kmart, with many more opening at midnight or early Friday.
There are also lots of local and regional stores in the area also opening late Thursday or early Friday.
Thursday:
Meijer - 6am (24 hours)
Kmart - 6am
Walmart - 8pm (24 hours)
Sears - 8pm
Target - 9pm
Friday:
Best Buy - 12am
Macy's - 12am
JC Penny - 6am
Glenbrook Square - 6am, some retailers at midnight
Jefferson Pointe - 12am
If you have any updates or times for local stores, please let us know!
