'Black Friday Creep' Spurs Online Petition Drives to Save Thanksgiving

Thousands are signing an online petitions against Black Friday store opening hours that have been pushed into Thanksgiving Day.

The trend for stores to open earlier and earlier to take advantage of Black Friday sales—even to the point of opening in the evening on Thanksgiving Day—has prompted an online petition drive to give Thanksgiving back to employees and their families. Read More: Black Friday Shopping in St. Louis to Start Earlier Than Ever The original petition was reportedly created by a Target employee upset that the retail giant is opening on Thanksgiving and requiring employees to work instead of spending time with their families. Target stores will open their doors at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving. As of Tuesday morning, there are more than 179,000 signatures on the petition. (Check out the petition here.) A press release from Change.org reported that they …

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Getting Hired at Target: Not so Easy?

Target applicants used to have to complete 704 true/false questions about everything from politics to their sex life.

Looking for a job, either as full time as you can get, or maybe seasonal? Sounds like if you want to work at Target it's not easy to get in. An article by AOL suggests it's harder to get into Target than Harvard. Here's the process at a California Target, according to the article: "Target's hiring process for its new stores has been designed with military precision. Applicants take an on-spot assessment test, interview with two current employees, and are then escorted to the bathroom for an on-site drug test. If all goes well, they'll get a job offer, assuming their background check comes up clean." Have you, or are you planning on applying for a position at the Target in Ballwin? A caller to the store is told to apply online. Do you have …

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Vote for Ballwin, Ellisville Schools in Target Contest on Facebook

Target is giving away one $25 gift certificate for every 25 votes schools earn in their online promotion.

Target is giving away $2.5 million in Target gift cards, and our schools need your votes. To vote, go to the Give With Target on Facebook site, search for the school you want to earn money and vote for them. (Note: You need a Facebook account to access the contest.) Schools reveive a $25 Target gift card for every 25 votes they earn, up to a maximum of $10,000 in gift cards. So far, Oak Brook Elementary has earned four gift cards and Ballwin Elementary hit the $25 mark for their first. Vote for Ballwin and Ellisville area schools You can vote every week. Voting ends September 8 or when $2.5 million in gift cards have been awarded, whichever happens first.

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Ballwin Target Donates to Circle of Concern

The funds contributed to the local charity were raised at a community event earlier this month.

The Ballwin Police Department and representatives of Target in Ballwin this week presented a check for $400.50 to Circle of Concern, a local charity that provides long-term assistance for low-income families throughout St. Louis County. The money was raised during a community shared event sponsored by Ballwin’s Target store on May 12.

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Black Friday News and Updates

Find the latest on Black Friday lines, deals and news as it happens. If you see something we should know about, send us a tip at Lindsay.Toler@patch.com or tweet @StLouisLindsay.

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Brandon Fry - Local Volunteer

9:38 am on Friday, November 25, 2011

We got in and out with all of our video games in about 1 hour. We got some great deals and little hassle with long lines this year. Of course we avoided the big box stores. Once we left the mall and went to McDonald's it was a different story.   more ›

Black Friday Shopping Guide in St. Louis

The stores, sales and strategies you need to optimize your all-night shopping blow-out.

Here’s a new holiday tradition to try: Say grace, eat turkey, head to the mall. Black Friday sales start at midnight this year at some of the regions biggest stores, including Walmart, Target, Kohl’s and Best Buy. We’ve read through the ads and compiled everything you need for the best all-night holiday shopping blow-out possible. And for each sale, we've highlighted the items we think would make the best gifts (at the best prices!) Check back on Black Friday for updates and tips, and if you hit the sales, tag your tweets with #BlackFridaySTL or mention @StLouisLindsay. And don't forget: Black Friday sales are already starting online at popular big box stores. Best Buy said they've already sold out of popular $80 TVs and $150 laptops, but …

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