We all know that Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, and we pray for insanely good deals all through dinner the night before. Generally the routine goes like this:
- Spend the week (or month) writing a list of the stores you have to hit and scoping out the best deals
- Spend Thanksgiving fueling up by eating all the food imaginable and going to bed early so you can hit the stores first thing in the morning
- Spend Black Friday...well...spending your money.
But here's the thing: this year is going to be different. Over a dozen national retailers have decided to open their stores on Thanksgiving Day and get the Black Friday deals started early. So who's open? Great question. We've got the answer!
1. Bass Pro Shops
Bass Pro Shops will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. They'll reopen on Black Friday at 5 a.m.
2. Belk
Belk will be open at 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day until 1 a.m. on what is technically Black Friday. They'll reopen the store five hours later at 6 a.m.
3. Best Buy
Best Buy doesn't plan on opening their doors until 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and will remain open until 1 a.m. on Black Friday morning. They'll shut down and then reopen at 8 a.m. on Black Friday.
4. Big Lots
Big Lots plans on taking advantage of holiday shoppers, opening their doors at 7 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning and staying open until midnight. They'll restock, and then open again at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.
5. Cabela's
Cabela's, which is always one of the most popular destinations on Black Friday, will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and will reopen again at 5 a.m. on Black Friday.
6. Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods has one of the shortest turn-arounds when it comes to opening and closing. They'll open on Thanksgiving Day at 6 p.m. and stay open until 2 a.m. They'll be right back at it just three hours later, reopening at 5 a.m. on Black Friday.
7. J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney will be another busy location this holiday season, and their Thanksgiving hours are going to make that even more possible. The department store will open at 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and remain open until 10 p.m. on Black Friday.
8. Kmart
Kmart will be opening at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and staying open until midnight. They'll reopen again at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.
9. Kohl's
From 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day until 1 p.m. until Black Friday, you'll be able to shop at Kohl's. It's strange that a store would be closing so early on Black Friday, but I guess they're anticipating a big rush earlier in the day.
10. Macy's
Macy's will be opening their doors at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and staying open until 2 a.m. They'll be back open for business at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.
11. Old Navy
The clothing giant will open at 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and stay open until 10 p.m. on Black Friday. Will there even be anything left!?
12. Sears
Sears is opening up at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day until midnight. They'll be reopening at 5 a.m. on Black Friday.
13. Target
If you don't love a good Target deal...well then I don't know what's wrong with you! They'll be opening their doors at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving and staying open until 1 a.m. They'll open the doors again at 7 a.m. on Black Friday.
14. Walmart
Walmart is so pumped for the start of the holiday shopping season, they're throwing a pre-sale party! From 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, they'll be handing out coffee and cookies as part of a "Light Up Black Friday" event. The sales will then start at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving night.
It makes sense that these stores would want to open up on Thanksgiving Day. Over 174 million people shopped both in store and online last year on the Black Friday weekend, and on average consumers plan to spend over $550. If one store can get people inside before any of their competitors are even open, there's a better chance people will spend money in their store.
When you're shopping on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, try to remember that the workers at each store do not control the lines, do not control the sales, and do not control the stock. They are giving up time with their families so that you can go shopping. A simple smile can go a long way.
[H/T: CBS News]