Macy’s Inc. plans to open its stores at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, two hours earlier than last year, to lure in holiday shoppers.
The Cincinnati-based department store chain opened on Thanksgiving for the first time last year. Two years ago, it opened at midnight after the holiday.
More retailers have been opening on Thanksgiving night to win over holiday shoppers.
Target and Wal-Mart began offering holiday discounts on Thanksgiving night two years ago instead of waiting for the day after, known as Black Friday.
The holiday season can account for up to 40 percent of a retailer’s annual sales. Several hours can make a difference in sales revenue.
The company said workers can receive higher pay for working on Thanksgiving and take off Black Friday.
Macy’s is the first major retailer to announce its Thanksgiving hours this year.
Last year, Target, J.C. Penney, and Kohl’s all opened at 8 p.m. and may follow Macy’s example. Some Wal-Mart stores opened 24 hours and others opened at 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. with special deals.
Old Navy topped all of them by opening over 900 of its stores at 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. About 700 reopened at 7 p.m. It also gave away $1 million to one shopper.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
