Pre-pandemic and before some stores got all haughty, some of us went to malls and strip shopping centers in the wee hours of the Friday after Thanksgiving to ensure we were FIRST (or close) in line to get those discounts during Black Friday Store Hours. And, by gum, we liked it!
If you’re one of those nostalgic for a mosh pit in a retail setting, don’t despair. You can still don your comfy, warm clothes and pack your lawn chair for a good old-fashioned sit and wait. Many physical stores haven’t given up the ghost of Christmas past and will offer early Black Friday openings. That’s even after big boxers like Best Buy, Costco, Target and Walmart, launched Black Friday deals weeks before Thanksgiving, after the colossus of retail, Amazon, kicked off holiday shopping in October with its Prime Big Deal Days Sale.
Since we’ve already offered you 7 Tips for Shopping Smart on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we’ll follow up with this list of stores that are opening early on Black Friday (check first; times may vary by location, especially with stores that are franchised or in malls).
Most stores are closed on Thanksgiving (a trend toward retail opening on Thanksgiving from a few years back met with significant backlash) though Bass Pro Shops (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Big Lots (7 a.m. to 9 p.m.) are open on Turkey Day.
Remember: No cutting in line. Be nice to your fellow consumer. No trampling.
Retail opening hours for Black Friday
- Ace Hardware: 8 a.m. for most locations
- Apple: Regular location hours
- Bass Pro Shops: 5 a.m.
- Bath & Body Works: 6 a.m.
- Belk: 7 a.m.
- Best Buy: 6 a.m.
- Big Lots: 6 a.m.
- BJ’s Wholesale Club: 7 a.m.
- Boscov’s: 6 a.m.
- Burlington/Burlington Coat Factory: 7 a.m.
- Cabela’s: 5 a.m.
- Costco: 9 a.m. (an hour earlier)
- Dick’s Sporting Goods: 6 a.m. for most locations
- Dillard’s: 6 a.m.
- Dollar Tree: 8 a.m.
- Dollar General: 7 a.m.
- DSW: 10 a.m. for most locations
- Family Dollar: 8 a.m.
- Five Below: 8 a.m.
- GameStop: 5 a.m.
- Gap: 8 a.m.
- Guitar Center: 6 a.m. for most locations
- Harbor Freight: 8 a.m.
- Home Depot: 6 a.m.
- HomeGoods: 7 a.m.
- J.C. Penney: 5 a.m.
- Jo-Ann: 6 a.m.
- Kohl’s: 5 a.m.
- Lowe’s: 6 a.m.
- Macy’s: 6 a.m.
- Marshall's: 7 a.m.
- Meijer: 6 a.m.
- Menards: 6 a.m.
- Michael’s: 7 a.m.
- Nordstrom: 9 a.m.
- Office Depot: 9 a.m.
- Old Navy: 5 a.m.
- Petco: 8 a.m.
- PetSmart: 7 a.m.
- REI: C’mon now. Take a hike.
- Sam's Club: 10 a.m.
- Staples: 9 a.m.
- Target: 6 a.m.
- T.J. Maxx: 7 a.m.
- Ulta: 6 a.m.
- Victoria’s Secret: 6 a.m.
- Walmart: 5 a.m.
