You could say the Black Thursday is the new Black Friday. Every year more stores open their doors on Thanksgiving day, instead of the traditional Friday after. So instead of getting up early, eager shoppers are staying up late.

The shift to opening on Turkey day even has thousands of Target workers in an uproar. Nearly 200,000 people have “signed” the online petition urging the retail giant to “Save Thanksgiving” and keep their doors closed that day so workers can enjoy the holiday with family members.

Despite the outcry, many mid-Missourians will venture to Target and other stores on Thursday or Friday. If you plan on braving the crowds and cold to get some discount deals, here is a guide to help you get the most out of your trip.

Opening Thanksgiving night...

Toys ‘R Us is the first retail giant opening its doors for bargain hunters. It will open at 9 p.m. and will stay open for 26 hours straight. Check out the Toys ‘R Us ad here.

Walmart is next in line, but it’s taking a different approach this year. Items will go on sale at three different times throughout the night or early morning. The first deals start at 10 p.m. Thursday, another batch at midnight, and a final reveal of deals is at 8 a.m. Friday. To help you navigate your route, Walmart conveniently posted maps of local stores pointing out where each hot-ticket item can be found. Check out Walmart’s ad here.

Opening on Black Friday...

At the stroke of midnight on Black Friday, four major stores will welcome in shoppers on their saving sprees: Macy’s, Best Buy, Kohl’s and Target.

The midnight opening is a pretty new thing for Macy’s. It has never opened all of its stores this early for Black Friday shoppers. Last year, eight locations opened at midnight, while the rest waited until 4 a.m. Check out Macy’s Black Friday ad here.

Target also is new to the extended hours. The retail giant will open at midnight for the first time ever. Check out Target’s Black Friday ad here.

If electronics are what you’re after, Best Buy is probably on your list. It opens at midnight, but you’ll want to be in line early to get some of the big ticket items. To avoid frantic shoppers from turning into a frenzy, store workers will be handing out tickets so customers can claim items in a civil manner. Each Best Buy store will have 10 of each big item that’s on sale. Customers are limited to one of each. Check out the Best Buy Black Friday ad here.

Kohl’s also is opening up at midnight on Black Friday. You may remember that from the store’s TV commercial, which turns YouTube sensation Rebecca Black’s viral video “Friday” into “Black Friday” (You can watch it here, but warning, it may get stuck in your head). Check out the Kohl’s Black Friday ad here.

JC Penney is staying with the later opening. The retailer will begin its sales at 4 a.m. Friday. Check out the Penney’s Black Friday deals here.

Probably the latest of all the major stores to open on Friday is Bass Pro. Store officials in Columbia said the doors will open at 6 a.m. You can check out the store’s Black Friday ad here. 

The old standard use to be 5 a.m. for Black Friday shoppers, but it now seems to be midnight.  What do you think? Are stores getting a little carried away with Black Friday shopping hours? Or do you think the demand is so high it only makes sense? Leave your thoughts below and comment in our online poll.