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Toys "R" Us would not confirm or deny plans to open on Thanksgiving, but employees at 12 stores in New Jersey and New York told The Record they have been told their stores will be open from noon to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and then, in those locations that allow midnight openings, reopen at midnight for the Black Friday sales.
Toys "R" Us and other retailers usually keep their Thanksgiving and Black Friday plans a secret until close to the holiday, because they don't want to tip off competitors who also may be considering opening on Thanksgiving.
The Record contacted the stores after Philip Bloom, publisher of a toy-industry online newsletter -- and a former Toys "R" Us executive -- posted a link to a Web comment from a Toys "R" Us manager complaining about having to work on the holiday. Bloom, in a telephone interview Thursday, said the comment appeared to be from a credible source. A decision to open the stores on Thanksgiving is industry news, he said, because Thanksgiving traditionally is the day when Toys "R" Us employees rest for the Black Friday blitz the next day.
"Nothing is definite. We are talking about all sorts of things," said Toys "R" Us spokeswoman Kathleen Waugh. "There's nothing set in stone. We are talking about a number of things, though." She said the company "did have some conversations" about expanded holiday hours, but reiterated that plans have not been finalized.
In the weeks leading up to the highly competitive holiday season, retailers can change plans for promotions and store hours on short notice, as they respond to the competition.
Bloom, whose newsletter, The Bloom Report, is based in Monmouth Junction, said it is possible Toys "R" Us has not made a final decision. He also said Toys "R" Us would want to keep any Thanksgiving opening plans quiet because the idea "might spread to the Walmarts and the Targets of the world." But once employees have been told, he said, it is hard to keep the news secret.
Other retailers have opened on Thanksgiving in the past. Kmart last year heavily promoted the news that its stores would be open. A spokeswoman for the Walmart stores in New Jersey said that retailer has not yet made a decision about Thanksgiving hours.
Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, said she hasn't heard about other retailers deciding to open on Thanksgiving, but said the number of people shopping on Thanksgiving is increasing every year. In 2006, 10.2 percent of consumers said they planned to shop on Thanksgiving. That number had risen to 14.7 percent last year.
"It's hard to tell who is leading the charge here," Davis said. "Are consumers shopping in more stores because they're open, or are retailers opening more stores on Thanksgiving because consumers want to shop." Davis said the fact that online sales on Thanksgiving have soared in recent years may be driving more retailers to open.
E-mail: verdon@northjersey.com
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