Feast or Function?

It almost always amazes me how quickly summer turns to fall here in Chicago, where I work from my home office. One minute, we’re enjoying summer in all its glory, and the next, that familiar crisp feeling is in the air, and our thoughts turn to Halloween, Thanksgiving and the coming winter holidays.

For the past few years, Thanksgiving, in particular, has posed a dilemma for retailers trying to balance one of the strongest sales weekends of the year (traditionally kicked off on Black Friday) with a family holiday.

But that tradition changed with shoppers lining up outside doors that opened at midnight on Black Friday, hoping to grab the deals before those of us who prefer a nice slumber after a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings.

And even the midnight sales didn’t last long. Soon retailers were extending shopping hours to Thanksgiving Day, hoping to entice shoppers into their stores before the last of the holiday meal had been wrapped in aluminum foil and stored for tomorrow’s leftovers.

Perfect for those who prefer to burn a few calories at the mall after their feast, but as someone who spent every Thanksgiving in college clocked in at the local A&P store, it’s not exactly ideal for retail employees and their families.

Costco, famous for caring for its employees better than most, was the first big-box retailer to step forward and announce that it would close on Thanksgiving Day so that its team members could enjoy the holiday with their families. Soon, others followed suit, and this year, we’re seeing more and more retailers, and even entire shopping centers, go that direction.

Bloomington, Minn.-based Mall of America has announced that for the first time since 2012, it will stay closed on Thanksgiving. “We think Thanksgiving is a day for families and for people we care about. We want to give this day back,” Jill Renslow, senior vp of marketing for the mall, told The Associated Press.

With all the talk of customer-centricity these days, one may think that the move to stay closed on Thanksgiving might be an affront to holiday deal-seekers. But interestingly enough, numbers show that Thursday sales are declining and, more importantly, are not a catalyst for sales lift across the holiday weekend, according to Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group .

As the pendulum swings back toward Thanksgiving as a day of food, football and family, this editor will be donning her trusty sweatpants after a delicious meal, kicking back and enjoying a quiet day at home.

Happy holidays to all!