As retailers have begun to announce their holiday hiring plans, they’ve also started to outline their hours – and whether they’ll even be open – on Thanksgiving. The eve of the largest discount shopping day of the year has become something of a new norm for some retailers to begin early deals, but more than 62 retailers are announcing that they will opt out of opening for Thanksgiving altogether, in favor of giving employees the day off to spend with family.
Among a list of stores closed on Thanksgiving (as of Oct. 1), Costco, Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Nordstrom, Lowe’s and more have announced that their stores will remain closed on the holiday, according to CNBC and BestBlackFriday.com, a site that monitors deals for shoppers. Among those believed to be remaining open on Thanksgiving include Walmart, Target, Macy’s and Kohl’s, according to BestBlackFriday.com Founder Phillip Dengler.
For the past four years, REI Co-Op (Kent, Wash.) has taken the move a step further and closed stores on Black Friday as part of its movement to #OptOutside, which it appears it will do again this year.
Sears Holdings Corp. (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) was the first retailer to push Black Friday sales earlier, into Thanksgiving, when it remained open for 2010 holiday.