Target Black Friday: Will You Shop at Midnight?

Black Friday shoppers will have to get in line a little earlier this year if they want to take advantage of deals at  and other area retailers — and it could interrupt their Thanksgiving plans.

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 Tuesday, more than 91,000 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."

An employee of the Oswego Target, 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 Friday.  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.