Stores Weigh A Thanksgiving Break Before Black Friday Retail Feast

Those looking to get out of the house and start their holiday shopping on Thanksgiving Day, take note: Your choice of stores will be limited. Many brand-name retailers will be closed for the holiday. Right now, at least 60 national merchants will not open on turkey day, including Nordstrom, Barnes & Noble, Neiman Marcus, Petsmart, Marshalls, Home Depot and Lowe’s, according to Bestblackfriday.com, which tracks holiday store closings. Others are sure to follow. Some of the big kids on the retail block — Sears, Kmart and Target — tell me they are weighing their options. There’s an important upside to a Thanksgiving retail recess. Time away helps boost employee morale, gives consumers a break before holiday gift-buying madness and yet isn’t a threat to crucial year-end sales, which this season are expected to jump a respectable 4 percent from 2016. To be clear, shutting down for the holiday is not always an altruistic decision. By closing, stores save money on operating costs while shoppers intent on shopping on Thanksgiving usually can tap into a chain’s online site. “Just because a retailer closes their doors on Thanksgiving doesn’t mean their website is also closed,” said Ana Serafin Smith, spokeswoman for the Washington-based National Retail Federation, an industry trade group. Read more at Chicago Tribune.