Thanksgiving Shopping is Here to Stay

Thanksgiving Day shopping is a delight to some and an anathema to others, but it isn’t going away and some stores are rethinking their strategies on whether it makes sense to be open on the holiday itself.

Many of the nation’s major mall operators and the big retailers that anchor them, such as Toys R Us, J.C. Penney, and Macy’s, are sticking with what they want to be a new tradition, kicking off the holiday shopping season on Thanksgiving Day.

Others, including the Mall of America, the nation’s largest shopping mall, are closing for Thanksgiving this year after being open for the past several years.

Some retailers that are closing cite respect for the holiday, but in truth the cost of being open may be more than the return.