Today, as most Americans sit down for their turkey feast, some are heading to the stores.
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NEW YORK (AP) – Some big retailers face scrutiny for opening on Thanksgiving, but many small stores have no choice. As it has for almost 30 years, Walmart will be open 24 hours.
Some Black Friday sales are creeping even earlier into Thanksgiving this year.
Rounding out the 6 PM openings are Kohl’s, Sears and Staples.
Of course, other retailers are taking advantage of most people being off today and offering Black Friday sales early. “This year has been insanely busy getting Winter Wonderland to happen, but looking ahead (to) next year, I’m thinking it would be a great goal for us to focus on bringing businesses on the Square together to do something unique and unified for Black Friday”.
The economics of opening on Thanksgiving can be a little different for the smaller guys.
The Point Shopping Mall will, for the first time in Malta, host Black Friday – an entire day of sales on the last Friday of November.
Vincent predicts in the future, there will be less foot traffic through stores as many shoppers may prefer staying in and shopping online. The stores will close at 1 a.m. and then reopen at 8 a.m. on Black Friday with a second round of doorbuster deals including $120 off an 11.6-inch MacBook Air and a $500 TV and Xbox One gaming package. Who really likes shivering in front a store in the wee hours of the morning?
J.C. Penney will open 3 p.m. Thursday and stay open until 10 p.m. on Friday.
The National Retailers Federation said the Thanksgiving weekend accounts for about $50 billion in revenue each year, but the numbers have been falling over the last two years.
Stores opening on Thanksgiving Day have led to backlash on social media and the creation of Facebook sites such as “Boycott Black Thursday” and “Boycott Shopping on Thanksgiving Day”.
For stores such as Macy’s, which employs thousands of employees, staffing might not be a problem, but there are many stores in the mall that are family-owned, have five or fewer employees and don’t run big-box specials.
“No, we will not shop on Thanksgiving”, Mimi Cobb said.
Nordstrom, Barnes and Noble, Gamestop, Costco and REI are among those staying closed on Thanksgiving Day.
“They’re not going to get much sympathy”, Phibbs says.
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Employees working at a retail store on Thanksgiving who notice another retailer is closed may decide to apply to work at that store, he said.
