Are You Sick of Black Friday Sales on Thanksgiving Day?

Black Friday is far from a one-day shopping event. Over the past several years, major retailers have opened their doors earlier each year, infringing on the Thanksgiving holiday.

Last year, many stores opened their doors to shoppers on Thanksgiving night, and Kmart went as far as to open at 6 a.m. Despite some consumers’ outrage that retailers are preventing their employees from being able to spend Thanksgiving with their families, many retailers are planning to kick off their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving again this year, some even earlier than last year.

Macy’s will open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, two hours earlier than in 2013, USA Today said. Although many stores have yet to announce their Black Friday shopping hours, it’s a safe bet that stores that have been open on Thanksgiving in the past – Target, Kohl’s, J.C. Penney, Walmart and Toys R Us – will be open on the holiday again this year.

While many retailers say they’re open on Thanksgiving because they want to make their customers happy, Brad Tuttle at Money said that’s hardly the case.

The reality is that these retailers are opening on Thanksgiving mainly for the same reason that kids often cite as the excuse for why they did something stupid: Everyone else is doing it. Macy’s and the rest of the mall stalwarts feel forced to open earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving because that’s what the competition is doing, and by not opening on Thanksgiving, a store is essentially conceding some chunk of sales to the competition.

But some retailers continue to recognize Thanksgiving as a holiday, allowing their workers to enjoy the day with their families, by keeping their doors locked and opening on Friday.

According to The Huffington Post, Costco, Sam’s Club, Dillard’s, Burlington, REI and American Girl will be closed on Thanksgiving. The Facebook site Boycott Black Thursday said Sierra Trading Post, Marshalls, HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx and Nordstrom will also be closed.

Tuttle wrote that Black Friday sales bombed in 2013, which isn’t really a surprise considering so many stores opened on Thanksgiving. He said:

What’s interesting is that there’s a good argument to be made that Thanksgiving store hours don’t actually boost a retailer’s overall holiday sales. Rather, sales on the holiday simply displace sales that would otherwise have been rung up on Black Friday or later in the season.

I love relaxing at home with my family on Thanksgiving, and I don’t like shopping in crowds, so Black Friday sales, especially ones that are taking over a big chunk of Thanksgiving, don’t appeal to me.

Sure, I love saving a few bucks while shopping, but not if it means sacrificing time with my family and preventing others (retail employees) from being able to enjoy the holiday at home with their own families. I prefer Cyber Monday for holiday sales.

Do you think stores should be open on Thanksgiving? How and where do you do your holiday shopping? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.