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Shoppers get a head start

More stores are staying open on Thanksgiving.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published November 24, 2006

NEW YORK - A traditional day of feasting with family turned into a day of early holiday shopping for some, as retailers offered more options - both online and in stores - than ever this Thanksgiving.

For the first time, BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. and CompUSA Inc. opened on Thanksgiving, while online retailer Amazon.com offered special holiday discounts.

"Some retailers are trying to find a way to take advantage of the fact that once dinner is over, many families are looking for some kind of entertainment," said Ellen Davis, spokeswoman at National Retail Federation, a trade group.

BJ's opened from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., while CompUSA Inc. opened from 9 p.m. to midnight, where state laws permitted stores to be open on the holiday.

"People start kicking off their holiday shopping early," said BJ's spokeswoman Stephanie LaCroix, who expected good sales of consumer electronics.

Almost 1,400 Kmart stores, owned by Sears Holdings Corp., were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., said spokeswoman Gail Lavielle.

More than 2,000 24-hour Wal-Mart Supercenters were open on the holiday.

At a Wal-Mart in Tallahassee, John Newland, 41, bought some Christmas presents.

"There's hardly anybody in there, no lines. It was nice in there, actually. Good shopping."

As for online opportunities, Sears, Roebuck and Co. again allowed holiday shoppers to pay for "Black Friday" deals on their Web site on Thanksgiving.

Today is Black Friday, considered the official kickoff to the shopping season.

Online retailer Amazon.com was also pushing for shoppers to get started a day early by holding an ongoing poll to select one steeply discounted gift item to be offered in limited supplies beginning on Thanksgiving, on top of other deals.

"We're always open on Thanksgiving," noted Amazon spokesman Craig Berman.

[Last modified November 24, 2006, 01:21:02]