Retailers cook up more Thanksgiving shopping hours

photo Holiday shopping is underway at Hamilton Place Mall in this Nov. 25, photo.

Shopping frenzy highlightsBradley Square Mall Some stores open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, and many will be open from midnight tonight through 10 p.m. Friday.Hamilton Place Most stores open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, including Belk and Sears. J.C. Penney opens at 5 p.m. Some retailers will stay open overnight, through 10 p.m. on Friday. About a dozen stores open at 6 a.m. on Friday. Dillard's opens at 8 a.m.Northgate Mall Most stores open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, including Belk and Sears. Some retailers will stay open overnight, through 10 p.m. on Friday. About a dozen stores open at 6 a.m. on Friday. Burlington Coat Factory opens at 7 a.m.Walnut Square Mall Most stores open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, including Belk and Sears. J.C. Penney opens at 5 p.m. Some retailers will stay open overnight, through 10 p.m. on Friday. About a dozen stores open at 6 a.m. on Friday.Best Buy Stores are open on Thanksgiving, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. On Friday, stores are open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.Kmart Stores open at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving and remain open through 10 p.m. on Friday. Doorbusters are at 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday and at 6 a.m. Friday.Target Stores open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and remain open through 11 p.m. on Friday. The retailer started making some of its Black Friday doorbuster deals available online Nov. 10.Wal-Mart Stores are open 24 hours, as always. On Thanksgiving, the retailer will have discount deals at 6 p.m., with a particular focus on children's toys and games, and at 8 p.m., with a particular focus on electronics. Friday, 6 a.m. to noon, 30 percent of entire categories, including CDs.Warehouse Row Retail hours vary during the long Thanksgiving weekend, so check with specific stores. New stores J.Crew and Anthropologie are normally open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. But on Black Friday the retailers are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.Thanksgiving weekend shoppers by the numbers* 18 percent plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day* 68 percent plan to shop on Black Friday* 43 percent plan to shop on Small Business Saturday* 22 percent plan to shop on SundaySource: National Retail Federation

If you like shopping, you'll have more to be thankful for today.

Black Friday gained a solid foothold on Thanksgiving about three years ago, when some big-box and department stores opened a minute after the holiday ended -- literally, at midnight. Last year, that turned into 8 p.m. on Turkey Day itself.

This year it's 6 p.m. -- even 5 p.m. for J.C. Penney and Best Buy, to name just two. But Kmart has all of them beat, opening its doors at 6 a.m., offering the public a way to spend the whole day of gratitude gathered around display tables instead of dinner tables. Some stores will keep the fluorescent lights shining on wrappables straight through to Black Friday's nighttime close.

"The department stores have been opening earlier and earlier," said Catharine Wells, group marketing director for Hamilton Place, in Chattanooga. "To make the most of it, stores inside of the mall have wanted to match that."

Stores aren't just opening earlier and staying open longer. They, of course, have all sorts of promotions and doorbusters going on throughout the weekend, some new.

Barnes & Noble will give out books signed by more than 100 authors, while supplies last. Wal-Mart -- which is open 24 hours on Thanksgiving, same as every other day -- guarantees rock-bottom prices on certain items from 6 to 7 p.m. today, among many other deals. Belk, which opens at 6 p.m. today -- and stays open until 10 p.m. on Black Friday -- will give away a total of $1 million worth of gift cards to the first 250 people at its 300 stores, with a guaranteed $1,000 winner at every store.

Put bluntly, Thanksgiving weekend shoppers are, well, greedy, a trend that keeps increasing, according to industry insiders. As National Retail Federation President and CEO Michael Shay put it: They want exclusive offerings.

And if retail analysts have gotten it right, plenty of shoppers are ready to pay for Thanksgiving weekend deals. The National Retail Federation expects more than $50 billion in retail sales, making this the most-shopped weekend in the calendar year. An NRF survey shows that almost 30 percent of shoppers, 68 million people, say they'll shop some time between today and Sunday. An additional 32 percent, almost 73 million, say they might shop, meaning they will head out if they decide the deals are worth it.

Surveys also predict an increase in all holiday sales. The NRF expects November and December sales to increase about 4 percent, compared to a year ago, to $617 billion.

"The holiday season is very important to the retail industry and for Belk," said Jessica M. Graham, a spokeswoman for the Charlotte-based department store.

A survey AAA completed this month in Florida, Tennessee and Georgia shows that 14 percent of residents in those states plan to spend more on gifts this year than they did last year. The biggest share of those surveyed said they plan to shell out $251 to $500.

"It's looking positive so far," said Jerry Bird, owner of FranNet in Chattanooga, which does franchise consulting in Alabama and East Tennessee. "Everybody is saying it's going to be a good season."

Consumer confidence is at its highest level since July 2007, according to a survey from Thomson-Reuters/University of Michigan. Stock market highs, gas price drops and a stable labor market help.

Still, nationwide, fewer people than last year plan to head out on Thanksgiving Day itself -- about 18 percent compared with 24 percent, according to the NRF, the world's largest retail trade association.

Retail creep into Thanksgiving has had backlash. More than 1 million Facebook users have shared a pledge not to shop on Thanksgiving Day. It reads: "If I'm shopping, someone else is working and not spending time with their family."

To that end, plenty of companies say they are proud to be closed on the holiday.

"We consider ourselves an associate-friendly company, and we are pleased to give our associates the time to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends," said Colleen Beauregard a spokeswoman for The TJX Cos. Inc., parent company to T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Homegoods. TJX Cos.' stores open at 5 a.m., 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. Friday, depending on their location.

Among the Hamilton Place holdouts is Dillard's, which opens at 8 a.m. on Friday. About a dozen other retailers, including Complete Nutrition, The Walking Co. and Verizon, will open a bit earlier, at 6 a.m. Northgate Mall and Walnut Square Mall each have about a dozen holdouts as well, including the new Burlington Coat Factory at Northgate, which opens the latest there, at 7 a.m.

Contact staff writer Mitra Malek at mmalek@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6406.

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