Retail giant Macy's is already preparing for Black Friday, announcing Tuesday that its stores will open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, two hours earlier than last year.
The announcement follows a year after Macy's opened its stores at 8 p.m., which was the first time the company welcomed shoppers that early, according to USA Today. Its doors would open at midnight in previous years.
The Cincinnati-based department store is also ahead of other retailers this year in announcing its store hours for the Black Friday weekend. This time of year is often seen as the beginning of the holiday shopping season.
Macy's said it is opening its stores earlier this year due to growing demand from customers, Cincinnati.com reported. Employees will be paid a premium for working on the holiday.
"Macy's aims to accommodate customers who count on us to be there when they are ready to shop," the company said. "In response to the significant, sustained customer interest in last year's opening on Thanksgiving, both at Macy's and at many other retailers, we will be opening our full-time department stores at 6pm on Thanksgiving Day, November 27."
The retailer said employees have already volunteered to fill shifts for the biggest shopping period of the year, USA Today reported.
The move is the latest made by a large store to increase sales during Thanksgiving weekend, with Toys R Us opening its stores at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving in 2011 and Kmart opening at 6 a.m. on the holiday and staying open until 11 p.m. on Black Friday.
