JACKSON, Miss. – To open up early or to not open at all? That is the question facing many stores across Mississippi and the country.
The Friday following Thanksgiving known as “Black Friday” is for most, the kickoff to the holiday shopping season. What started as a few stores opening up early, the day after Thanksgiving, has turned into a holiday in itself for shoppers looking to get the best deals on all sorts of items.
For the pest decade the trend had been that more-and-more stores were beginning to open earlier and earlier, eventually getting to a point of of not even waiting until Friday and instead opening their doors Thanksgiving day. However, that trend appears to be in state of realignment.
Some stores and shopping malls across the country are coming out and announcing that they will not be opening their doors on Thanksgiving and will instead, wait until the following morning.
Stephen Lebovitz is the CEO of CBL & Associates, which oversees more than 70 malls across the country, including malls in Southhaven, Madison, D’iberville and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He tells USA Today that “The main (driver) was for our employees and the store employees, we wanted to give them Thanksgiving off.. It’s a family holiday and we just felt strongly as the property owners that we are responsible for a lot of peoples’ well being during that holiday.”
CBL & Associates aren’t alone in the fight to make Thanksgiving day more about reflection than tangible consumption. Joining them in Thursday closures include Bed, Bath and Beyond, Cabela’s, Costco, GameStop, Office Depot, Office Max and REI.
Many department/retail stores, the major players in Black Friday, are not following their brethren in opening later. Macy’s announced that they will be opening their doors earlier this year. They’ll open Thanksgiving day at 5 p.m. Also, two of the largest retailers in the world, Walmart and Target, have both announced that they will be open, starting at 6 p.m.,Thanksgiving day.
