Walmart is kicking off Black Friday shopping earlier than ever this year, opening stores at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

"In addition to offering amazing low prices on the season's top gifts, Walmart is taking the historic step to ensure wishlist items like the Apple iPad2 are available for customers during a special one-hour event on Thanksgiving," the world's largest retailer said in a statement today.

"We know it's frustrating for customers to shop on Black Friday and not get the items they want," said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising and marketing officer, Walmart U.S. "This year, for the first time ever, customers that shop during Walmart's one-hour event will be guaranteed to have three of the most popular items under their tree at a great low price."

Other retailers will also be opening earlier, including Sears at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, moved up from 4 a.m. on Black Friday last year. Kmart will be open Thanksgiving Day 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., then it will close and reopen 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Macy's, Kohl's and Best Buy open at midnight; Toys R Us hasn't announced its plans. Advice on how to snag the best deals.

To help convince folks to head out to the store after dinner, Walmart said it will guarantee that customers who are inside the store and in line between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. can get these deals:

• Apple iPad ®2 16GB with Wi-Fi - $399 plus get a $75 Walmart Gift Card
• Emerson ® 32? 720p LCD TV - $148
• LG ® Blu-ray™ Player - $38

"If any of these items happen to sell out before 11 p.m. local time, Walmart will offer a Guarantee Card for the item which must be paid for by midnight and registered online. The product will then be shipped to the store where it was purchased for the customer to pick up before Christmas," the retailer said.

A few of the top items available in store, while supplies last, include:

• 8 p.m. on November 22: Gifts for the Entire Family - Toys, Gaming, Home and Apparel
  • Xbox 360 ® 4GB + SkyLanders ™ Bundle - $149
  • Wii ™ Console- $89
  • More than 100 video games priced at $10, $15 or $25 each
  • Top Toys of the Season: Leappad ® 1.0 Learning Tablet ($65) and Furby ® ($45)
  • Razor ® Accelerator 12-Volt Electric Scooter - $79
  • Fisher Price Power Wheels ® Jeep ® Wrangler 6-Volt Ride Ons (Hot Wheels ® and Barbie ®) - $89 each
  • Licensed Boys' and Girls' 2-Piece Sleep Set - $4.50 each
  • Mens and Ladies Denim - $9.50 each
  • Home appliances such as a Crock Pot ® 6-Quart Slow Cooker and Mr. Coffee ® Programmable 12-Cup Coffee Maker - $9.44 each
  • Shark ® Steam Pocket Mop and Ninja ® Pulse Blender - $39 each
  • Fashion Dolls such as Barbie ®, Bratz ™ and Disney ® Princess - $5 each
  • Hundreds of DVD and Blu-ray movies such as Brave, The Amazing Spiderman, Hunger Game ranging from $1.96 to $9.96 each
  • Better Homes and Gardens ® 700-Thread Count Sheet Set - $19.96
  • 48? Air-Powered Hockey Table - $29.86
  • 14' Trampoline with Enclosure and Bonus Flash Light Zone - $159

• 10 p.m. on November 22: The BIG Event - Brand Name Electronics
  • Vizio ® 60? 720p LED Smart TV with built in Wi-Fi - $688
  • Samsung ® 43? 720p 600Hz Class Plasma HDTV - $378
  • HP ® 15.6? Laptop with 4GB and 320GB hard drive - $279
  • Nikon ® D3000 Digital Camera with Lens Kit - $449
  • Samsung ® Smart ST195 Digital Camera - $99
  • Beats by Dr. Dre ® Headphones - $179.95
  • Nook ® Color ™ 8GB Tablet - $99
  • Virgin Mobile ® 3G/4G Hotspot - $39.88

• 5 a.m. on Nov. 23: Caffeine Not Needed - Great Savings on Gifts from Jewelry to Tires
  • Sharp ® 70? 1080p 120Hz HDTV - $1,798
  • Acer ® 13.3? Ultrabook ™ with 4GB and 320GB solid state drive - $499
  • $100 Walmart gift card with the purchase of select smartphones such as the Samsung ® Galaxy S III, Droid RAZR M by Motorola ® and HTC ® One X
  • Goodyear Tires ranging from $59 - $99 each
  • Forever Bride 1/3 -Carat T.W. Diamond Ring in 10K Gold - $198
  • Stanley ® 6-Drawer Rolling Tool Cabinet with 85-Piece Mechanic Tool Set - $99
  • Singer ® Sew Mate 5400 60-Stitch Sewing Machine - $99.97
  • 5? Pre-Lit Harrison Christmas Tree - $20
  • Better Homes and Gardens Deluxe Recliner - $199

Black Friday Specials & More Online:

• Samsung 50? Class LED 1080p 60Hz HDTV - $698
• Ematic 7? Tablet Android 4.0 1GHz, 4GB - $49
• Dsi XL Ultimate Bundle - $129
• Razor A Kick Scooter, Multiple Colors - $25