People might have to digest their Thanksgiving feast in a hurry if they want to take advantage of big sales at certain stores.

Black Friday? You’re late.

At least three department stores will be open today in an effort to entice shoppers with deep discounts.

Managers at Stage, Kmart and Sears said this is the first year they will open on Thanksgiving. Others, including Walmart and Walgreens already are open during the holiday.

Elizabeth Foster, store manager at Stage, said the store’s parking lot entry will be open from 8 p.m. to midnight today. The store, located at Arrowhead Mall, reopens at 6 a.m. Friday.

“We’re excited,” Foster said, adding that she and store workers worked to get the word out. “We’re hoping Muskogee really does shop and support our store.”

Another mall store open Thanksgiving is Sears. Susan Prophet, assistant store manager for apparel, said workers have been lining aisles with boxes and setting up displays in preparation for the sale. The store will be open from 8 p.m. today through 9 p.m. Friday.

“That’s 25 hours,” Prophet said.  

Workers will begin distributing tickets for electronics to customers at 7:30 p.m., before the store opens.

“People will be lined up until the rush,” Prophet said. “We posted signs at the door letting them know where things are.”

Prophet said the store will offer deep discounts at unusual hours. Some run from 8 p.m. today to 1 p.m. Friday. Others run from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, she said.

Kmart will be open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, then from 8 p.m. today to 3 a.m. Friday, and from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Manager Leon Degenhardt said.

He said some Kmart stores “back east” had been open on Thanksgiving in the past.

“This is the first year the whole company did it,” he said.

Walgreens drug stores usually have been open on Thanksgiving, said Cody Herndon, manager of the Walgreens at 2330 Chandler Road.

“We’re open every day of the year,” Herndon said.

He said a different type of people are now shopping on Thanksgiving Day.

“We’ve been able to have better sales on Thanksgiving Day,” Herndon said, adding that many people buy toys on Thanksgiving.

People also buy last-minute food items, he said.

“They buy a lot of pop or maybe some cream cheese for something. Cranberry sauce for pumpkins,” Herndon said. “People stress about ‘do you have this?’”

Reach Cathy Spaulding at (918) 684-2928 or cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com.