Walmart will offer Black Friday deals earlier this year

(Reuters) - Walmart Inc said it would start offering holiday deals for customers as early as Thursday, as it prepares to compete with Amazon Inc , Target Corp and other rivals for shoppers on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The company will offer Black Friday deals at 10 p.m. EST online on Thanksgiving eve - two hours earlier than in previous years - in order to give shoppers on the East Coast more shopping time earlier, executives said, and at 6 p.m. local time in its stores..