Macy's will join other retailers such as Toys 'R' Us, pictured here on Black Friday 2009, with thousands of shoppers lining up in Times Square just before midnight.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Macy's will get a jumpstart on the Black Friday madness, opening its doors at midnight on Thanksgiving for the first time this year.
Macy's (M, Fortune 500) is joining Black Friday stalwarts Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) and Toys 'R' Us, retail leaders that have opened their doors at the crack of Black Friday -- the day after Thanksgiving.
Target (TGT, Fortune 500) also recently announced that it will be opening its doors at midnight, for its earliest open ever.
Over the years, Black Friday has become a holiday tradition for many shoppers. On Thanksgiving, during the hours leading up to Black Friday, hundreds or even thousands of shoppers line up outside the flagship Toys 'R' Us store in Times Square and Wal-Mart stores around the country.
In New York City, the shoppers include a mix of locals and tourists from around the world who are hunting deals and also hoping to take part in the Black Friday culture of consumer frenzy.
Macy's iconic flagship store is in Herald Square in Manhattan, where the nationally telecast Thanksgiving parade ends and the classic holiday film "Miracle on 34th Street" takes place. It's an area that's often crowded with shoppers and tourists even when it's not the holiday season.
These Black Friday shoppers usually have specific deals in mind, and often boast about their discount purchases as they leave the stores.
Macy's is trying to lure customers with a list of holiday discounts, heavily promoting the Justin Bieber fragrance gift set with his first Christmas album, "Under the Mistletoe."
But the outcome of Black Friday isn't always so happy. The event has developed a reputation over the years for the mayhem that sometimes ensues when the doors open.
The way retailers handle the crowds has fallen under scrutiny since Black Friday 2008, when a Wal-Mart employee was killed by a stampeding crowd in Valley Stream, N.Y.
Since then, Walmart stores have corralled shoppers with a series of barricades as they file through the main doors.
For those who don't like standing in long lines on Thanksgiving night, online shopping has gained prominence in recent years. In 2010, sales for Cyber Monday -- the Monday after Thanksgiving -- outperformed Black Friday. 
