Black Friday Shopping Begins Thursday For Many Large Retail Chains
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A big Thanksgiving tradition usually comes a day after the holiday, but now more and more stores are starting Black Friday on Thursday.
Large retail chains including Toys R Us, Target, K-Mart, Walmart and Sears all are opening their doors to deals Thursday night.
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"Retailers are trying to anticipate and meet the expectations of their customers," said Matthew Shay, CEO of the National Retail Federation. "So three years ago, we saw a number of retailers test drive Thursday openings."
According to the National Retail Federation, in 2009, three percent of Thanksgiving weekend shoppers hit the stores on Thursday. In 2010, that number increased to 9 percent. Last year, it jumped to 24 percent.
"Some of my coworkers do not mind working, however there are many others who do mind who want to spend it with their families," said Target employee Sarah Wiley.
While some are opting out of the Black Friday chaos, others can't wait to get their shop on as early as they can.
"We got there I think around 10 p.m. last year at Target and we were in line for like two hours and then they let us in at midnight," said shopper Sheryl Carrozza.
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