Black Friday 2011: Toys 'R' Us to Open Doors at 9 P.M.
Toys "R" Us announced Monday that it will be opening its doors at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, an hour earlier than last year, to accommodate the influx of Black Friday shoppers looking to save big this holiday season.
The retailer is offering numerous doorbusters from 9 p.m. through Friday, Nov. 25, at 1 p.m., including a free $50 Toys "R" Us gift card with the purchase of any Apple iPod Touch, 50 percent off products such as LeapFrog Leapster, My Baby Alive dolls, Riptunes 2GB MP3 players and Sylvania seven-inch Android tablets or seven-inch Android netbooks.
From 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Black Friday, Toys "R" Us will offer additional doorbusters, which include 50 percent off products such as the Tonka Bounce Back Racer, LeapFrog Alphabet Pal and Serta Master Sleeper Crib and Toddler Mattress, and 40 percent off select LEGO construction sets.
"We know our customers like to get an early start on their Black Friday shopping, so we’re offering more savings than ever and providing even more hours to save by opening our stores at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving night," Toys “R” Us chief marketing officer Greg Ahearn said in a statement. "Black Friday is truly the kickoff to the holiday shopping season, and we’re excited to welcome customers at Toys "R" Us stores across the country for what has become an annual tradition for many families after Thanksgiving dinner is finished."
Many other retailers, such as Walmart, Kohl's, Macy's and Target, have opted to open their doors earlier than ever this Black Friday, a move that is angering many employees and even some customers.
USA Today reported that a Target cart attendant in Nebraska is protesting the midnight opening and petitioning for the store to open at 5 am on Friday. He has already garnered more than 62,000 signatures.
"With the midnight open, you're going to cut into a lot of people's family time because you have to rest up if you're going to be working overnight," he said.
One commenter on the story wrote, "I'm all for stimulating the economy but this is disgusting on so many levels!"