Business & Tech
Targeting Midnight Openings Friday
Locally, an Operation Santa toy drive will kick off at midnight, while some national retailers will open then (or earlier).
Target's decision to open for Black Friday shoppers at midnight has raised some eyebrows nationwide, but workers for a local charity effort will follow a similar schedule.
, 1010 N. Bridge St., will host "Fill a Truck" from 12:01 a.m. Friday through midnight Sunday, organizer Teresa Wedeen said in a news release.
They will be collecting new, unwrapped toys and gifts for the Operation Santa program, which provides gifts to less fortunate children throughout Kendall County. Donations of wrapping paper, batteries and gift cards also are welcome.
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The Junior Women's Club members anticipate serving about 1,500 children from newborns to age 12, according to the news release.
The organization's members will help collect donations most of Saturday and Sunday.
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The midnight start time coincides with some national retailers' efforts.
Target announced Oct. 28 that stores will open at midnight on Friday, Nov. 25, marking the earliest Black Friday opening in the company's history.
“The holidays bring hectic schedules and tight budgets, so extending store hours and offering lots of additional ways to save makes Target a great choice for affordable, one-stop holiday shopping,” Target Executive Vice President Tina Schiel stated in a news release last month.
However, the decision has created an uproar among some shoppers and Target employees.
As of Sunday evening, more than 190,150 people have signed an online petition at Change.org asking Target to open at 5 a.m. instead of midnight. The petition was started by Anthony Hardwick, an Omaha, Nebraska-based employee who is angry that workers must arrive to their stores no later than 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
"With the midnight opening, employees like myself will have to leave for work right in the middle of Thanksgiving Dinner," Hardwick said in a statement. "We don't mind hard work, but cutting into our holidays is a step too far."
More locally, one Oswego Target employee, who asked not to be named, said she has heard very little complaining from her co-workers.
"Mostly I think people are just happy to have a job," she said Thursday afternoon.
Think midnight is early? Target won't be the first store to open its doors for the traditional bargain-shopping day. is getting a jump start on Black Friday by opening at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Macy's will also open at midnight, reports the Huffington Post.
