Black Friday deals start Thanksgiving Day this year.

Kmart plans to be open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day and then reopen 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. for its first holiday sales. A second round of sales starts at 5 a.m.

Rock Island store supervisor Tara Rednour, 21,said Kmart always has customers waiting, even on Thanksgiving morning, and stays busy all day.This will be her fifth year working Thanksgiving and Black Friday for Kmart.

"It doesn't bother me because we get paid time and a half, and I'm a college student," she said. "They make us dinner."

Best Buy plans to hand out tickets for limited items at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving Day before opening at midnight. People began waiting in line three days early last year, said Moline store associate Nicole Weber.

"The line went through the parking lot and into the street," she said.

Davenport Toys R Us store manager Vicki Fyfe said they will offer specific deals 8-10 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. The hours, she said, are likely due to competitors also opening earlier.

Ms. Fyfe said several hundred people waited for hours last year in a line that crossed Welcome Way and into the parking lot of Northwest Bank. The store was filled to its capacity of 1,200 people, she said.

"We get no bad feedback from employees," said Ms. Fyfe. "People volunteer to work; they sign up on a sheet. When they're done, they usually go off shopping themselves."

SouthPark Mall in Moline and NorthPark Mall in Davenport will open their doors at 10:30 p.m. Thanksgiving Day so people won't have to wait outside, said marketing manager Aleshia Chiesa. Most of the malls' retailers plan to open at midnight and will remain open until 9 p.m. Nov. 23.

Sears will open its exterior doors even earlier, at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. Younkers will open at midnight.

"Since the retailers determine their holiday hours, we go by that," said Ms. Chiesa. "We try to make it as positive for everybody as possible and hopefully it helps them through the holiday season. I'm excited and ready to go!"

A California Target employee has begun a national petition against Thanksgiving Day sales.This year Target opens at 9 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, three hours ealier than last year.

Moline Target store manager Andie Weigel declined to comment on Black Friday hours or employee attitudes.

"The holiday season is highly competitive, and Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year," Target's national media spokesperson Jenna Reck stated in an email. "Our opening time this year reflects the feedback we have heard from our guests – many prefer to shop following their family gatherings rather than in the very early hours of the morning."

Von Maur plans no early start to Black Friday.Advertising manager Amy Davis said the chain does not force customers to get up early or stay up late.The stores will close at 4 p.m. Nov. 21 and remain closed Thanksgiving Day.

"Von Maur respects employees being able to spend holidays with their family," said advertising assistant Mara Toay. "Our Black Friday shopping isn't quite like everyone else's. We offer no special deals. It's mostly business as usual."



Beginning Black Friday early

A sampling of retailers' hours Thanksgiving Day and Nov. 23 include:

-- Kmart: 6 a.m to 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day; 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Nov. 23; 5 a.m. on Nov. 23.

-- Walmart: 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day

-- Sears: 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day

-- Target: 9 p.m. Thanksgiving Day

-- Toys R Us: 9 p.m. Thanksgiving Day

-- SouthPark and NorthPark Malls: Midnight Nov. 23

-- Best Buy: Midnight Nov. 23

-- Kohl's: Midnight Nov. 23

-- JCPenney: 6 a.m. Nov. 23

-- Dillards: 8 a.m. Nov. 23

-- VonMaur: 9 a.m. Nov. 23