Walmart, Kmart, and Best Buy: If you're champing at the bit to hit the stores for some early holiday shopping—really early, as in Thanksgiving Day—those are likely among the stops you'll make.
But many shoppers' enthusiasm for these head starts doesn’t seem to match that of the retailers. We reached out to Consumer Reports Facebook followers to find out if they planned to shop on Thanksgiving Day. Our query evoked more than 300 comments, and the majority echoed some variation of this response: No, thank you.
Many said they just wanted a peaceful, uninterrupted holiday at home. "I have thanks to give," one said. "Not the slightest bit interested in shopping."
Some were concerned about people having to work on the holiday. "Thanksgiving is ruined for a lot of retail workers that are forced to work," a former retail employee said. "I’m glad I’m not in retail anymore so I can actually see family this year!" Others, though, said it was a good opportunity to earn some holiday pay.
For some, pre-Black Friday sales take the excitement out of holiday shopping. "I feel like they're spoiling the fun of the specials by releasing everything early," a fan of Cyber Monday said.
There was also a sprinkling of laissez-faire comments, like this one: "I can shop, or I can stay home. Folks can work, or not. It's a free country." And at least one follower was excited about combining shopping and family time. "I will shop Thanksgiving evening WITH my family after we enjoy our dinner," she said.
There was plenty of advice to retailers, including to go digital. "America is the only country where we give thanks for what we have on a designated day and watch video of people being trampled on line for a 40-inch flatscreen TV within 24 hours," he said. "Memo to retailers—move the deals online."
If you're like many of the people on our Facebook site, you'll want to reward retailers that resist the urge to open on the holiday. You can get a list of them here.
One commenter summed things up, particularly for those on the East Coast, where a huge storm was threatening Thanksgiving eve: "For every store that opens on Thanksgiving, an elf drowns a reindeer."
Join the conversation on our Facebook page.
—Donna Tapellini
The post-Thanksgiving shopping spree has diminished significance, though it remains a ritual for many: read "Has Black Friday Lost Its Luster?"
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