J.C. Penney is joining Macy’s in the drive to start the holiday shopping season even before Black Friday, announcing that it will open many stores at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
The new schedule means the department store will effectively have a 25-hour Black Friday, from 8 p.m. on Thursday to 9 p.m. on Friday, the Associated Press reports. Macy’s recently announced the same Thanksgiving Day opening time.
Last year, J.C. Penney was considered a shopping slowpoke when its 6 a.m. Black Friday opening lagged behind other stores. J.C. Penney is also bringing back its holiday tradition of a massive snowglobe giveaway starting at 4 a.m. on Black Friday.
The new holiday schedule comes as the retailer tries to bounce back from the disastrous tenure of former CEO Ron Johnson, who was fired after a botched holiday season last year and a fiscal year with a billion dollars in losses.
[AP]