Toys”R”Us and Staples Early Thanksgiving Hours

By Paul Ausick Updated Apr 28, 8:41AM EDT · Published Nov 11, 10:34AM EST

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No matter what customers are in the market for on Thanksgiving Day, a store where they can buy that special or not-so-special something will be open at least part of the day. From toy store Toys”R”Us to office supply store Office Depot Inc. (NYSE: ODP), shoppers will not have to waste a moment wishing that more stores were open.

Here is a brief rundown on a few recent announcements:

Toys”R”Us will open most of its 600 U.S. stores for business at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving day. The company said Monday morning that it would offer more than 300 “doorbuster” items. The store is even giving participants in its rewards program an “exclusive opportunity” to take advantage of the special sales on Wednesday.

Office Depot, which just last week completed its merger with Office Max, will open its doors on Thanksgiving Day at 8 p.m. with its own doorbuster deals, including special deals on electronic devices like laptops and tablets. An 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD tablet will get a $100 discount, and some touchscreen laptops will sell for as much as 40% off.

Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) plans to open at 8 p.m. as well on Thanksgiving Day. The company recently completed a survey that showed 87% of shoppers have problems buying holiday gifts. We are not sure the company needed a survey to prove that. In any event, Staples did note that two-thirds of those surveyed say they are equally likely to purchase goods online as they are to shop in retail stores.

Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) said Monday morning that it plans to open its stores at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, an hour earlier than it has opened in the past. The company said it is making the change in response to competitive pressure and demand from shoppers. Target is hoping to attract customers through a special online promotion on Pinterest as well.

Holiday sales are expected to post growth of about 3.9% this year to more than $600 billion, according to an estimate from the National Retail Federation, and about 15% of those sales are forecast to take place online. Getting a jump on the shortened holiday shopping season this year is part of virtually every major retailer’s plan to boost sales.

About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for a673b.bigscoots-temp.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.