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Kmart ups the ante with Thanksgiving shopping marathon 

The creep of ever-earlier holiday shopping means you can now start a bargain-hunting marathon before you pop the Thanksgiving turkey in the oven and keep at it until you're munching on leftovers.The parent company of Sears and Kmart said Monday that its Kmart stores would be open Thanksgiving Day starting at 6 a.m. and ending at 11 p.m. on Black Friday."Members and customers can shop Black Friday
Customers wait in line for door buster deals at a Kmart in Chicago on Nov. 22, 2012. Kmart, which opened at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving last year, is extending its pre-Black Friday shopping hours, starting at 6 a.m. on the holiday and staying open for 41 hours straight.
Customers wait in line for door buster deals at a Kmart in Chicago on Nov. 22, 2012. Kmart, which opened at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving last year, is extending its pre-Black Friday shopping hours, starting at 6 a.m. on the holiday and staying open for 41 hours straight.John Konstantaras / AP

The creep of ever-earlier holiday shopping means you can now start a bargain-hunting marathon before you pop the Thanksgiving turkey in the oven and keep at it until you're munching on leftovers.

The parent company of Sears and Kmart said Monday that its Kmart stores would be open Thanksgiving Day starting at 6 a.m. and ending at 11 p.m. on Black Friday.

"Members and customers can shop Black Friday deals from Kmart for 41 hours straight," Sears Holdings boasted in a statement on its website.  

Last year, Kmart opened at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving, but it closed its stores for four hours in the evening on the holiday, and again for a couple of hours before the traditional Black Friday opening.

Sears stores will open their doors at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day through 10 p.m. on Nov. 29, as they did last year. That matches what other retailers have announced in a trend toward giving shoppers pre-Black Friday hours on a day that many Americans spend with friends and family.

That move has upset some Americans who believe that the day, which is a national holiday celebrating the blessings of the harvest, should be free of commercial connotations.

Last month, Macy's broke a long-standing tradition by announcing it would open its doors at 8 p.m. on Nov. 28. The retailer said it made the move in response to "interest from customers who prefer to start their shopping early." Other stores opening on Thanksgiving include J.C. Penney and Kohl's.