Black Friday starts early: Which retailers are open on Thanksgiving Day

More than a dozen national retailers will open their doors early for Black Friday, kicking off sales on Thanksgiving Day. 

At the same time, the list of brick-and-mortar stores that will remain closed for the holiday is growing, and lately stands at nearly 100 national and regional retailers, according to BestBlackFriday.com

The push for earlier Black Friday sales comes as consumers increasingly snub brick-and-mortar retailers in favor of online rivals such as Amazon. Yet many stores still count on a surge in sales during the annual shopping extravaganza.

Those dynamics are putting pressure on retailers to offer more holiday "doorbusters" -- or low prices on high-demand products like computers or home appliances -- and to stay open on Thanksgiving. 

Walmart plans to kick off its Black Friday event on Thanksgiving day at 4 p.m., when it will throw what it describes as its first-ever "Light Up Black Friday" party for customers. Store workers are expected to give away 4 million cups of Keurig coffee and 2 million Christmas cookies during the two-hour party, the company said. Its Black Friday sales will officially begin at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, although Walmart is already offering some discounts online.

Some retailers say they want to give their workers a break on Thanksgiving. Retailers ranging from Ace Hardware to Trader Joe's are among those closing their doors on the holiday, according to BestBlackFriday.com (see full list below of retailers that will shut their doors on Thanksgiving.)

How much people spend

Consumers plan to spend an average of $554.90 during the holiday weekend, with $207.30 going towards gifts, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Seventy-one percent of shoppers will go to a shopping center or mall during the holiday weekend, with millennials leading the way, at 83 percent, a new survey by the group shows.

The National Retail Federation estimated that 174 million people shopped in stores and online during last year's five-day Thanksgiving weekend, which ends with Cyber Monday. 

Below are the hours for stores open on Thanksgiving, followed by the retailers scheduled to be closed on the holiday, according to BestBlackFriday.com

Stores open on Thanksgiving Day

Bass Pro Shops
8 a.m.-6 p.m. The stores will reopen at 5 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 23. 

Belk
4 p.m.-1 a.m.  Stores will reopen at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.   

Best Buy
5 p.m.-1 a.m. The retailer will reopen at 8 a.m. on Black Friday. 

Big Lots
7 a.m.-midnight. Stores will reopen at 6 a.m. on Black Friday. 

Cabela's
8 a.m-6 p.m. The retailer will reopen at 5 a.m. on Black Friday. 

Dick's Sporting Goods
6 p.m-2 a.m. Stores will reopen at 5 a.m. on Black Friday. 

J.C. Penney
2 p.m. on Thanksgiving, remaining open through 10 p.m. on Black Friday. 

Kmart
6 a.m.-midnight. Stores will open at 6 a.m. on Black Friday. 

Kohl's
5 p.m. on Thanksgiving and remaining open until 1 p.m. on Black Friday. 

Macy's
5 p.m.- 2 a.m. Stores will reopen on Black Friday at 6 a.m. 

Old Navy
3 p.m. on Thanksgiving and remaining open until 10 p.m. on Black Friday. 

Sears
6 p.m.-midnight. Stores will reopen at 5 a.m. on Black Friday. 

Target
5 p.m.-1 a.m. Stores will reopen at 7 a.m. on Black Friday. 

Walmart
Thanksgiving day 4-6 p.m. (pre-sale party), with Black Friday sales beginning at 6 p.m. 

Stores Closed on Thanksgiving Day 

  • A.C. Moore
  • Abt Electronics
  • Academy Sports + Outdoors
  • Ace Hardware
  • Acme Tools
  • Allen Edmonds
  • American Girl
  • At Home
  • AT&T (Company-owned stores)
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Big 5 Sporting Goods
  • BJ's Wholesale Club
  • Blain's Farm & Fleet
  • Bob's Discount Furniture
  • Burlington
  • Christopher & Banks
  • Cost Plus World Market
  • Costco
  • Craft Warehouse
  • Crate and Barrel
  • Dillard's
  • Dressbarn (most stores)
  • El Dorado Furniture
  • Fleet Farm
  • Gander Outdoors
  • Gardner-White Furniture
  • Guitar Center
  • H&M
  • Half Price Books
  • Harbor Freight Tools
  • Hobby Lobby
  • Home Depot
  • HomeGoods
  • Homesense
  • IKEA
  • JOANN Stores
  • Lamps Plus
  • Lowe's
  • Mall of America
  • Marshalls
  • Mattress Firm
  • Menards
  • Micro Center
  • Music & Arts
  • Nebraska Furniture Mart
  • Nordstrom
  • Nordstrom Rack
  • Northern Tool
  • Office Depot & OfficeMax
  • Outdoor Research
  • P.C. Richard & Son
  • Patagonia
  • Pep Boys
  • Petco
  • PetSmart
  • Pier 1 Imports
  • Publix
  • Raymour & Flanigan Furniture | Mattresses
  • REI
  • Sam's Club
  • Sierra Trading Post
  • Sportsman's Warehouse
  • Sprint (Stores closed unless mall decides otherwise; mall kiosks may open)
  • Staples
  • Stein Mart
  • Sur La Table
  • The Container Store
  • The Original Mattress Factory
  • The Paper Store
  • TJ Maxx
  • Tractor Supply Co.
  • Trader Joe's
  • Trollbeads
  • Von Maur
  • West Marine


-- With reporting by Aimee Picchi

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