Staples Bucks Retail Trend, Will Close Stores on Thanksgiving

Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend.

Image Not Available

Eager holiday shoppers will have to wait until 6 a.m. Black Friday to snatch up holiday deals at Staples. The office product giant announced it will close its doors on Thanksgiving.

It’s a departure from the controversial retail trend to roll out holiday promotions a little earlier by opening stores on Thanksgiving. In fact, Staples was open on Thanksgiving the previous two years, USA Today reports.

A number of retailers, including Best Buy, Toys R Us, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Sears, Target, Radio Shack and Kmart, also offered Thanksgiving hours last year.

But this year, Staples is bucking the Christmas creep trend by keeping its doors closed on Thanksgiving and giving its workers a day off.

“We want our customers and associates to enjoy Thanksgiving their own way,” said Demos Parneros, Staples president of North American stores and online, in a company statement.

Staples will kick off its 2015 holiday deals in stores at 6 a.m. on Black Friday, according to CNN Money.

In the past, Black Friday was the biggest shopping day of the year. But with many retailers offering holiday promotions as early as Halloween, the Black Friday shopping weekend has lost some of its allure with shoppers.

USA Today said Thanksgiving weekend spending fell in 2014, as consumers “spread their shopping out over the entire season.” The sheer number of shoppers dropped by 5.2 percent and consumer spending fell 6.4 percent during last year’s big holiday shopping weekend.

Kathy Allen, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, told USA Today that retailers may be adjusting their strategies this year to accommodate the shift in holiday shopping habits.

“Are retailers (opening on Thanksgiving) to see more added to their bottom line? I’m sure some do, but really at the end of the day all it does is just spread consumer spending out,” she says. “If you open on Thanksgiving and there’s not people lined around the sidewalk, you’re going to re-evaluate for the next year.”

Kudos to Staples for agreeing to close its doors on Thanksgiving and give employees the day off.

It’s never too early to start saving money for holiday shopping. Check out “11 Easy Ways to Raise Holiday Shopping Cash.”

Do you shop on Thanksgiving? What do you think of Staples’ decision to stay closed on the holiday? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.

Get smarter with your money!

Want the best money-news and tips to help you make more and spend less? Then sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter to receive daily updates of personal finance news and advice, delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for our free newsletter today.