Toys "R" Us to Open Most Stores on Thanksgiving

   By Tess Stynes 
 

Toys "R" Us Inc. said it plans to open most of its stores Thanksgiving Day, joining a growing list of retailers aiming to extend the much-hyped Black Friday holiday shopping frenzy.

The retailer, which plans to open at 5 p.m. on Nov. 28, also said that its reward-card members will be able to get some Thanksgiving deals on Nov. 27. The company is planning four-hour deals, as well as Thursday through Saturday discounts to attract shoppers.

Best Buy Co. (BBY) on Thursday said more than 1,000 of its stores will open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

In recent weeks, Kohl's Corp. (KSS), Macy's Inc. (M) and OfficeMax Inc. (OMX) have said many of their stores will open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) said most of its Sears and Kmart stores will open Thanksgiving Day, with Sears stores opening at 8 p.m. and Kmart stores opening at 6 a.m. and staying open for 41 hours straight through Black Friday.

Retailers in recent years have been trying to get a jump on deeply discounted Black Friday shopping by opening on Thanksgiving, in an effort to boost struggling sales during the slow economic recovery. Traditional brick-and-mortar companies are also trying to keep up with online retailers, who offer Thanksgiving Day deals.

Last year, despite an outcry from some employees and traditionalists, national chains including Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), Target Corp. (TGT) and Sears opened their doors Thursday. Best Buy, along with Macy's and Kohl's, waited until midnight.

Write to Tess Stynes at [e-mail]

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