Dollar General seeks piece of Thanksgiving pie

Dollar General’s 10,000 plus locations will be open Thanksgiving Day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., but it’s not taking the heat for doing so like rivals Walmart and Target.

Dollar General on Monday announced a series of online and in-store promotions, including special opening hours, designed to establish it as a holiday destination for gift givers as opposed to a convenient located stores that sell consumables.

"Dollar General extends its every day convenience and low prices this holiday season both in stores and online," said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s EVP and chief merchandising officer. "We want to help our customers stretch their dollar this holiday season and are offering great specials, particularly on Thanksgiving Day."

Hours of operation at all Dollar General stores are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and 7 a.m. to normal close of business on Black Friday. Normal hours of operation resume on Saturday, November 24, 2012.

In addition to what the company called incredible holiday savings on electronics, toys, clothing at its more than 10,000 locations, Dollar General is making an aggressive digital play this year as well and recently launched new apps for the iPhone and Android platforms. For example, the company is touting exclusive deals on its Web site that are only on Black Friday and Cyber Monday with special free shipping on any order of $25 or more. Among some of the online items offered are a 7 inch digital photo frame for $25, an e-reader with a seven inch screen for $50, an Emerson 12MP digital camera for $30 and an old fashioned rocking horse for $40.