Thursday, 30 October 2014

Kohl's joins Macy's, to open at 6 pm on Thanksgiving


Get ready to finish your turkey and stuffing a few hours earlier this year.
Kohl's on Thursday announced that it will open its doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, mirroring an announcement by Macy's earlier this month. Both openings are two hours earlier than last year.
People enter Macy's Herald Square as the store opens its doors at 8 pm Thanksgiving day on November 28, 2013 in New York City.
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People enter Macy's Herald Square as the store opens its doors at 8 pm Thanksgiving day on November 28, 2013 in New York City.
Although the retailers are among the first to announce they will be open on Thanksgiving, they certainly won't be the last. A spokeswoman for Belk department store also said earlier this month that it will open its doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, compared to 8 p.m. last year, and stay open until 10 p.m. on Black Friday.
Kohl's will also host marathon hours, staying open through midnight Friday.
In 2013, J.C. Penney, Wal-Mart, Target and others were also open on Thanksgiving. They haven't made formal announcements yet.
Macy's spokeswoman Holly Thomas said that last year, its
flagship Herald Square store broke its record for a Thanksgiving weekend opening, with 15,000 people waiting at the doors. It was the first time the department store opened on Thanksgiving Day; in 2012, it opened at midnight on Black Friday.
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Experts have stressed the importance of retailers catering to shoppers' desire to head to the mall when they finish Thanksgiving dinner. By opening early, companies can not only grab an early share of customers' wallets, but they can also build loyalty for the season—and perhaps get them to increase their budgets as the calendar gets closer to Christmas.
The Thanksgiving shopping trend is only exacerbated by online. According to PwC's Holiday Outlook study, 49 percent of shoppers plan to browse online to research products and make purchases on Thanksgiving morning.
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Still, a hefty amount of retailers are not folding to the pressure. Nordstrom will once again remain closed on Thanksgiving Day, as will GameStop. Saks and Dillard's will also keep their doors shut on Thanksgiving, before opening at 8 a.m. on Black Friday. Costco will also be closed on Thursday, and will open at 9 a.m. on Black Friday.
Home improvement stores Lowe's and Home Depot will be closed on Thursday, and will open their doors at 5 a.m. on Friday. TJX said the majority of its T.J.Maxx and Marshall's stores will open at 7 a.m. Friday, though a few will open at 5 a.m. that day. Its HomeGoods stores will open at 7 a.m.
"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," TJX spokeswoman Doreen Thompson said.

At the time of the Macy's announcement, Thomas said the majority of its Thanksgiving Day shifts had been filled voluntarily. She said the company received feedback last year that many of its employees "appreciated the opportunity to work on Thanksgiving so they could have time off on Black Friday," as well as the additional pay they receive for working a holiday. For any shift that begins on Thursday, employees will be paid time-and-a-half.
Macy's announced last month that it will hire 86,000 seasonal workers this holiday, an increase of about 3.6 percent compared to 2013. Kohl's also increased its holiday hiring this year, saying it will hire more than 6,700, up 1,700 from last year.
Note: This story will be updated as other retailers announce their holiday hours.

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