A Retailer’s Dilemma: Is it Worth Opening on Thanksgiving?

Americans have a conflicted relationship with holiday shopping. We love a good deal, yet we're mired in massive debt. We give lip service to the importance of spending quality time with our family for the holidays, but when stores open up on Thanksgiving, shoppers dutifully show up — or at the very least snag some deals online when no one is looking. While some object to holiday shopping on the actual holiday, plenty of stores are giving deal-hungry shoppers what they want. Most major retailers — including J.C. Penney, Macy’s and Target — are not only open in the wee hours of Black Friday, but also on Thanksgiving Day. Target even went so far as to call shopping at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving a “tradition” in announcing its opening time. Thanksgiving shopping has become so common that it’s more unusual for a store to be closed.