Mass Merchant

New York -- Target plans to open at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day to kick of its Black Friday promotional efforts and will follow up with additional deals that become available at 4 a.m.

The company is also rewarding its REDcard holders by allowing them early access to select Black Friday sale items at Target.com.

New York -- Walmart’s U.S. employees will pay between 8% and 36% more in premiums for its medical coverage in 2013, Reuters reported.  

For its most popular plan, which covers individuals, the payment per bi-weekly paycheck is going up by $2, or 13%, the report said. Some other plans would have higher increases.

Washington — Target, Walmart and McKesson were each recognized Friday as one of America’s more community-minded companies as part of the The Civic 50 — the first scientific evaluation to rank the companies that best use their time, talent and resources to improve the quality of life where they do business. 

The survey was conducted by the National Conference on Citizenship and Points of Light, and was published in the Nov. 9 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek.

Minneapolis -- Best Buy has hired Sharon McCollam, formerly CFO of Williams- Sonoma Inc., as CFO, beginning Dec. 10.

McCollam, 50, had been COO and CFO at the home goods retailer before retiring. She also takes the title of chief administrative officer at Best Buy.

McCollam replaces James Muehlbauer, who said he was leaving in October. Muehlbauer will continue to advise the company until the end of the fiscal year in February.

New York -- Dillard’s third quarter merchandise sales for the quarter ended Oct. 27 increased 4% to more than $1.4 billion, same-store sales increased 5% and operating profits increased 84% to nearly $73 million. Gross margins expanded 40 basis points to 37.1% and same-store inventory levels were down 1%.

Target plans to open at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day to kick of its Black Friday promotional efforts and will follow up with additional deals that become available at 4 a.m.

The company is also rewarding its REDcard holders by allowing them early access to select Black Friday sale items at Target.com.

Walmart will sell a bazillion electronics products this holiday season, no thanks to Consumer Reports which rates the company last as a CE destination.

Apple and Costco were ranked one and two as the best venues for CE items followed by a bizarre classification called "independents," considering the CE space is dominated by chains. The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) and Sam’s Club ranked highly. Walmart was last among the 14 physical retailers ranked with a score of 81, compared to Apple and Costco at 92.

New York -- Confidence among consumers hit a five-year high in November, boding well for retailers as they head into the holiday season.

The index of consumer sentiment from Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan rose to 84.9 in November from 82.6, topping economists' expectations for a reading of 83.