Stores Lure Shoppers Before Black Friday

Early morning Thanksgiving Day shoppers make purchases at Kmart, which is operated by Sears Holdings Corps, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2007, in Los Angeles. "Some people just can't wait until Friday," said Kirsten Whipple, a Sears spokeswoman. "Thanksgiving dinner is done and they have moved on." Kmart's special Thanksgiving deals include an Olevia 32-inch LCD HDTV for $419.99 and a Magellan GPS system for $129.99. (AP Photo/Ric Francis) (Ric Francis - AP)

NEW YORK -- The start of the holiday shopping season crept earlier into Thursday as retailers lured shoppers to stores and online ahead of the traditional Black Friday kick-off.

For the second year in a row, CompUSA Inc. opened its doors on Thanksgiving, with stores scheduled to open at 9 p.m., except in Massachusetts where local laws preclude holiday hours. CompUSA also added an extra incentive for consumers this year by providing pumpkin pie for those in line.

Iconic toy store FAO Schwarz _ with locations in New York, Chicago and Las Vegas _ opened its doors on the holiday as well. Store hours for the three locations were 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In the past, holiday shopping on Thanksgiving Day was limited to discount stores like Kmart and Wal-Mart, as well as grocery retailers and 24-hour convenience stores like 7-Eleven Inc. Kmart, operated by Sears Holdings Corp., is taking it one step further, offering for the first time Thanksgiving Day specials on TVs to GPS systems.

"Some people just can't wait until Friday," said Kirsten Whipple, a Sears spokeswoman. "Thanksgiving dinner is done and they have moved on." Kmart's special Thanksgiving deals include an Olevia 32-inch LCD HDTV for $419.99 and a Magellan GPS system for $129.99.

Dozens of shoppers at Kmart in Raleigh, N.C., were met with doughnuts and coffee as early as 7 a.m., and when the store opened, they quickly cleared the shelves of top-selling items: Nintendo's Wii, selling for $249.99; the Magellan Maestro 3100 Navigation System for $129.99 and 32-inch Olevia LCD television for $419.99.

Rick Long was one of the first shoppers in line and snagged his only planned purchase: the 32-inch flat screen.

"There's actually one that's going to be cheaper tomorrow, but there's going to be a bigger line," Long said after hoisting his purchase into the back of his car. "So, I figure paying the extra $20 is worth it."

The lure of discounted computers brought Janice Kosak-Ceasar to a Best Buy store north of Houston at 4:45 a.m. Thursday _ 24 hours and 15 minutes before its holiday sale opening.

Kosak-Ceasar, along with her 9-year-old son, Caydin, were first in a line of about 12 people bundled in winter clothing and sleeping bags.

"I'm doing this for my mom," said Kosak-Ceasar, 36, a registered nurse from nearby Spring. "She really wants a laptop, so here I am. Kind of stupid, huh?"

Joy Greene, a nursing assistant, found Thanksgiving Day shopping to be a delightful interlude.