• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, November 9, 2010

Sears says it will open for half a day on Thanksgiving, giving shoppers a head start on Black Friday.

"It's part of a series of changes based on listening to feedback from last year," company spokesperson Tom Aiello tells Marketing Daily. "It also includes things like extending our layaway period from 8 weeks to 12."

Sears' move will make it something of a retail renegade. While Walmart is typically open for part of Thanksgiving, Black Friday specials are not available until Black Friday. And most stores -- while they may open at midnight -- are closed for the actual holiday.

Sears' Thanksgiving Day event will include such doorbuster deals as a Panasonic 58' 1080p Plasma TV, plus two bonus Blu-Ray DVDs, for $1,099 -- a savings of $745 -- and diamond or ruby pendants for $20, regularly $60. Kmart, also owned by Sears Holdings, has been open on Thanksgiving Day for more than a decade, he says. "It will give people a chance to shop when it is a little less hectic," he says.

The Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based company also just unveiled a social media version of its Christmas Wish Book, "allowing customers to see hot-trending products, get feedback on potential purchases and share lists with their friends and family." In addition to browsing through either paper or online versions, people can also access it through smartphone devices, iPad and Facebook.

Sears is scheduled to announce its third-quarter results next week. In its most recent quarterly results, the company disappointed investors with a $39 million loss and revenues of $10.5 billion, driven $93 million lower by a 2.2% decline in comparable-store sales.

Overall, however, forecasts from most retailers are looking up. A new study from BDO USA, a leading accounting and consulting firm, says that the CMOs at large retailers expect comparable-store sales to gain 2.8% this holiday, with overall sales up 3.5%. That's a considerable leap from last year, when they predicted gains of 1.4% and 2.6%, respectively.

"Retailers appear more optimistic for the 2010 holiday season, a sign of the industry's resilience," the company says in its analysis. "Retailers expect the recent positive momentum to continue now that consumer spending is gradually improving. While retailers continue to carefully manage inventory levels, some are planning to broaden product offerings for the 2010 holidays, a major change from 2009."