Macy's to open at midnight Thanksgiving Day

More than 800 Macy's stores will stay open for 23 hours and close at 11 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25. That compares with last year when Macy's opened eight stores at midnight while the rest opened at 4 a.m.

Martine Reardon, Macy's executive vice president of marketing, said the midnight openings are a response to customers' requests.

"People want to shop through the night," Reardon said.

In recent years, retailers have expanded their Black Friday hours and rolled out sales for the day weeks in advance. That's in contrast to a few years ago when stores kept their discounts and hours secret until a few days before the Thanksgiving weekend. Retailers are responding to shoppers who like to map out their bargain-hunting strategies early.

Last year, Sears and Kmart stores opened Thanksgiving morning for the first time. Toys R Us stores opened at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Many Gap Inc. stores also were open. And Wal-Mart opened most of its stores by midnight that evening.

Target Corp. became one of the first retailers to announce its Black Friday hours this year. The discounter said on Friday that it would open its doors at midnight for the first time ever and offer Black Friday specials at that time. Like Macy's, it plans to stay open 23 hours. More merchants are expected to announce their hours and deals for the Thanksgiving weekend in the next week or so.