Black Friday began early for many San Diego shoppers, with lines forming Thursday afternoon.
Many national chains now open all day on Thanksgiving to give holiday shoppers a head start, including Kmart, Big Lots! and Radio Shack.
Chains opening in the evening include Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, JC Penney, Kohl’s, Michael’s, Old Navy, Sears, Sports Authority, Target and Toys ‘R’ Us.
Walmart, which begins its sales at 6 p.m., calls Thursday the “new Black Friday.”
The National Retail Federation predicts 140 million shoppers nationwide will enter stores over the Thanksgiving weekend, about the same number as last year.
But there are indications that Black Friday is losing its appeal.
A survey by Consumer Reports magazine found 53 percent of respondents said they don’t plan to shop anytime during the five-day stretch between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. In fact, 39 percent of those surveyed said they’re less likely to shop at some point during the span this year versus last, while only 10 percent said they are more likely to shop compared to 2013.