'Black Friday' gone? Kmart to open Thanksgiving morning

The Friday after Thanksgiving traditionally is the biggest shopping day of the year, but a growing number of retailers plan to open on Thanksgiving Day to give consumers an early start on their holiday buying, dimming Black Friday's luster.

Kmart today announced plans to open at 6 a.m. on Nov. 28 and remain open for 41 hours straight, closing at 11 p.m. on Nov. 29.

Sears stores will open at 8 p.m. on Nov. 28 and close at 10 p.m. on Nov. 29.

Macy's last month announced that it will break a 155-year-old tradition to open most of its stores on Thanksgiving for the first time in the Cincinnati-based chain's history. Macy's officials said the opening was in response to customer interest and consistent with other retailers.

An American Express survey found that 27 percent of consumers want to get their holiday shopping done by December, up from 24 percent last year. Consumers are starting their shopping sooner because of this year's holiday shopping season is x days shorter than last year, officials said.

Last year, more than 88 million consumers shopped in stores and online on Black Friday, the most of any day during the holiday weekend, according to the National Retail Federation.