Shop 'til You Drop: Mercer County retailers plan an even earlier start for holiday ...

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LAWRENCE -- The annual Black Friday ritual lures hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of bargain-hungry shoppers to department stores and smaller outlets. They're frantic to score door-buster deals in the early morning hours and cross the season's hottest must-haves off their lists.

But this year, the frenzy will start even earlier, according to some retailers throughout Mercer County. Customers will barely have time for a nap after indulging in Thanksgiving feasts if they expect to snatch up the latest apparel, toys and electronics and beat other shoppers to the registers.

'Consumer behavior has changed. We wanted to accommodate customer requests after hearing they wanted more time for deals,' Quaker Bridge Mall spokeswoman Marian Kapp said, explaining even earlier opening times than last year. The mall's owner, Simon Property Group, 'made the decision to open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving,' she said.

The mall, which opened at midnight for participating retailers last year, will begin ushering hordes of consumers through its doors and rolling back prices right after dinner time Thursday, Kapp said. Though the mall's main access doors will be open, not all retailers are required to open theirs; it is contingent upon each company's policy, Kapp said.

This year's retailers participating in the 8 p.m. Thanksgiving commencement include Aeropostale, Ann Taylor, Express, Forever 21, H&M, JCPenney, Old Navy, Sephora, Victoria's Secret, White House Black Market - and of course, Starbucks, to help shoppers refuel with gingerbread lattes throughout the night, Kapp said.

The Best Buy West Windsor, which opened at 10 p.m. last year, also pushed up its opening time to 6 p.m. this year after receiving customer feedback that suggested shoppers want to start their shopping Thanksgiving night, according to a statement on the company's website.

'Last year, millions of people made it clear that they wanted to shop on Thanksgiving evening. Given this trend, the company designed this year's holiday plan with a variety of shopping options,' it reads.

Competitor Radio Shack, with locations in Lawrence and Trenton, will be closed on Thanksgiving.

Mrs. G TV & Appliance in Lawrence won't be open on Thanksgiving either because 'that's a time for families to be together,' store manager Chris Gray said.

'It's a regular tradition to not be open on Thanksgiving for us,' Gray said. 'This business is a family environment, and being closed on Thanksgiving was something passed down through generations.'

Toys R Us in Lawrence, which opened at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving last year, is among the retailers participating in the time shift. The store is set to open at 5 p.m. this year, company spokeswoman Adrienne O'Hara said.

'Each year, we work to accommodate enthusiastic, eager shoppers who come out for this event some consider an annual ritual. When we opened at 8 p.m. last year, we got a great response, but customers said they wanted even more time to shop,' O'Hara said. 'For our employees, this is an official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. It's a great, exciting work environment for employees.'

But as Gray of Mrs. G suggests, while the early start gives customers more time to land discounts, for some employees, it means sacrificing the R&R usually associated with the holiday trimmings. Participating retailers at Quaker Bridge Mall asked for volunteers to work first, with compensation varying depending on each store's policy, Kapp said.

The Walmart stores in Hamilton and Princeton will open at 7 a.m. on Thanksgiving and remain open through Black Friday. The store in East Windsor will open at 6 a.m. and remain open through Friday as well.

One employee at the Walmart in Hamilton, who declined to give her name, said none of the workers are 'crazy' about the store's 24-hour holiday hours.

'But if you're scheduled to work, you have to come in,' she said.

The Kmart in Hamilton also will open up at 6 a.m. on Thursday and will continue welcoming shoppers through Friday, while the Target locations in East Windsor and West Windsor will open at 8 p.m. on Thursday and close Friday at 11 p.m.

Michaels in Hamilton will open at 4 p.m. and its location in Princeton will open at 8 p.m. Both stores will close at 2 a.m. on Friday and reopen later that morning at 7 a.m.

All of the retailers at the Shoppes at Hamilton mall will be closed on Thanksgiving except Jos. A Bank, which will be open 8 p.m. Thursday to 1 a.m. on Friday and will reopen at 6 a.m. later that day, spokeswoman April Sette said.

The only store open on Thanksgiving at MarketFair in West Windsor is Starbucks, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the movie theater will be open normal hours, kicking off the day showing 'Thor: The Dark World' at 11:50 a.m., according to show times listed for the theater on fandango.com. Contact Nicole Mulvaney atnmulvaney@njtimes.com.