The traffic on at least one stretch of Washington Road in Evans should be a little busier than normal today.

A long-awaited Target store at 4223 Washington Road will open its doors to the public at 8 a.m. today.

"I think we're going to start off with a bang, and I think the bang will keep getting bigger," said Anthony Childress, the team leader of the new Target.

Today is the Target's "soft" opening, which Mr. Childress says will give employees a chance to work with customers in preparation for the store's grand opening Sunday.

Target held a preview event, including a ribbon-cutting, for special guests Tuesday night.

Mr. Childress, who said he expects a big influx of customers today, says the store also has a pharmacy, a Starbucks and a Pizza Hut.

Target's hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Kohl's department store will be having its official grand opening at 8 a.m. Thursday. The store, next to Target in the Mullins Crossing shopping center on Washington Road, had its soft opening Sunday and is operating at its normal hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

"Things are going very well,'' Kohl's spokeswoman Lori Sansoucie said Tuesday. "We're working out those last-minute kinks.''

Kohl's will bring 150 jobs to the area, according to a news release from the company. Mr. Childress said 247 people have been hired to staff the Target in Evans.

At 4:30 p.m. today, a ribbon-cutting will occur for a new Chick-fil-A in Mullins Crossing. The store, though, will not open for business until 6:30 a.m. Thursday, said Cindy Picket, a spokeswoman for Chick-fil-A.

She said that as part of a promotion in which the first 100 customers will receive a year's supply of Chick-fil-A food, the restaurant will let customers begin lining up for the store's opening at 6 a.m. today.

She said the first 100 customers will be counted between 6 and 6:30 a.m. Thursday. To be eligible, a person must be at least 18 years old. Ms. Picket said those in line beyond the 100 mark will be eligible for a raffle for a year's worth of Chick-fil-A. The prize is one combo meal a week for 52 weeks.

Ms. Picket said that from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, the Salvation Army will be at the new Chick-fil-A to collect money for Gulf Coast hurricane victims. The store's operator has agreed to match as much as $1,000 in donations.

Reach Preston Sparks at 868-1222, ext. 115, or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com.