If you’re looking to get a head start on your Black Friday shopping and get a jump on all those people who are taking naps after their Thanksgiving dinners, you may be interested in starting your trip on Thanksgiving day itself. While a lot of stores have begun to open on Thanksgiving Day, it’s not as widespread as it sometimes seems, so it’s good to keep track as stores confirm their times. Unfortunately, it’s too early for most stores to have confirmed right now, but we can, of course, speculate based on past years’ opening times.
Kmart has been among the earliest openers in recent years, usually opening around 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving. They tend to have really great doorbusters in lots of different categories – from electronics like TVs and phones, to toys, like board games and dolls. Some of their sales stay the same for Black Friday, but most of them are Thursday only. That means you might miss out on some great deals if you’re only looking on Black Friday.
Big Lots is another early opener, with stores tending to open around 7 a.m. Their sales focus on furniture, with recliners starting at $189 last year and sectionals starting at $588, but they have lots of other items as well, such as DVDs, CDs, small appliances, cooking sets and bedding sets. Their big sales are still on Black Friday, though, and they usually close at midnight on Thanksgiving Day to reopen at 7 a.m.
Walgreens has opened at 8 a.m. in the past, and their 2014 sales were good Thursday through Saturday, so there was no advantage to waiting until Black Friday at all. Walgreens has a limited selection compared to a lot of other stores, just because of the type of store they are, but they always offer great discounts on things like soft drinks, candy and other things you might want for your holiday dinner.
hhgregg tends to open around 4 p.m., offering great prices on TVs, personal electronics and appliances like washers, dryers and refrigerators. One great thing about hhgregg is that there are tons of different TVs to choose from, unlike other stores that may have one or two models on a super sale. You can also look at hhgregg for things like home audio systems.
In the past, Michaels has opened at 4 p.m., stayed open through 2 a.m., and then reopened around 7 a.m. on Black Friday. Even though they close and reopen, their Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday sales have stayed the same in the past. There’s a huge variety of decorations and crafting supplies on sale, and last year they had different coupons for different times of the day right on the front page of their ad.
Old Navy has been opening at 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving and then staying open all the way through the end of Black Friday. They tend to have the entire store on sale. Some years there are just really great price points on everything, but last year everything in the store was 50 percent off. This is a great place to get clothes, but they also have lots of little toys and stocking stuffers that are incredibly inexpensive.
Best Buy is known for their Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales; it’s why people wait outside for days for them. They’ve been opening from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. in recent years, then reopening on Black Friday. They always offer amazing prices on a huge variety of products, from TVs and game systems to DVDs and laptops.
JCPenney is another regular 5 p.m. opener. They have certain doorbuster sales they promote, which last year included boots, towels, curtains, kitchen appliances, plush toys and much more at absolutely ridiculous prices. They have also handed out coupons at the door for a certain amount of people, which varies from year to year.
Toys R Us is, obviously, a great place to go for toys on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. They have opened at 5 p.m. in past years, offering deals on everything from dolls and figurines to board games and tablets. If you’re in the market for a lot of toys and not as many electronics and things like that, this can be a good store to prioritize for the selection alone.
Kohl’s tends to open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving. This is a great place to go for a large variety of things, including toys, jewelry, electronics, and clothes. They’ve also included this sale in their Kohl’s cash earning period in years past, which is great if you’re into Kohl’s Cash in general.
Sears is another store that has opened at 6 p.m. in the past. Sears is known for their great deals and selection on home appliances throughout the year, but Black Friday weekend is a great time to get even better deals on them. They also have deals in other categories, of course, but appliances tend to be their biggest draw.
Walmart has been opening at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day in recent years. They are the masters of Black Friday sales, of course, so they’re a great store to visit for products in pretty much every category they offer. Electronics are the main thing, but there are great prices throughout the store. They offer special sales at various hours throughout Thursday evening and Friday.
Target has been opening at 6 p.m. on recent Thanksgivings as well, and they offer tons of doorbusters in all the usual categories. This past year, they were selling Beats by Dre headphones for less than $100, and they also featured a great deal on a camera and a TV. They often offer free Target gift cards with purchases of some items, which is a great deal if you shop at Target regularly.
Victoria’s Secret is another store that has been opening at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving in past years. Last year, they offered a limited-edition tote bag with a free gift included while supplies lasted at each store. Their sales vary, and last year, certain things were on sale starting on Thursday, while other sales started on Friday, so pay attention to the dates on each page of the ad.
Macy’s is another 6 p.m. opener, offering sales of 30 to 75 percent off products in every category. They tend to push their clothing, shoe and handbag sales the most, so that’s a great draw if you like the lines they carry.
Ulta tends to open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving day, offering excellent prices on lots of products. This is a great place to get a gift set for someone for a really great price. They also offered a $10 hair drier last year, which is a pretty unbeatable price.
