Toys R Us To Open At 5 P.M. On Thanksgiving

Toys R Us announced Friday that it will open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and stay open for 30 hours straight until 11 p.m. on Black Friday.

The kids toy store chain is one of a growing list of companies staying open on Thanksgiving in order to add an extra day to one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. While shoppers tend to show up in droves for Black Friday kickoff events, many have criticized retailers for asking low-wage employees to come to work, instead of spending the holiday with family and friends.

A representative from Toys R Us told The Huffington Post Friday that the company asks workers to volunteer to staff Thanksgiving weekend shifts. If there aren't enough volunteers, workers are assigned the shifts.

"We have so much excitement leading up to Thanksgiving and Black Friday," Adrienne O’Hara, a spokesperson for Toys R Us, told HuffPost. "Employees are really excited, it's an event."

O’Hara said hourly workers receive time-and-a-half for working Thanksgiving Day, which is generally the case at many large retailers.

This year, Macy's, Kmart, Sears, J.C. Penney and Walmart, among others, will be open on Thanksgiving Day. Other stores like Costco and Sam's Club will close.

Are you working a retail job on Black Friday? We'd love to hear about your experience. Email our reporter Hunter Stuart at hunter@huffingtonpost.com