Several stores open today
Grocers, big box retailers, others offer hours on holiday despite some buyers’ pushback
Retailers nationwide are preparing for an estimated 165 million Americans to shop in-store and online between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, the busiest shopping weekend of the year.
Consumers buoyed by rising wages, low interest rates and stable fuel prices are expected to spend $731 billion collectively this holiday season, up 4.2 percent from last season, according to the National Retail Federation. More than two-thirds of Americans plan to spend at least $100 during Black Friday weekend, the same as last year, according to a survey by Morning Consult, a global technology company.
“Consumers are in pretty good shape,” said Charlie O’Shea, a retail analyst with Moody’s. “They have money to spend.”
Despite the rosy projections, several retailers — including grocers, big-box giants and department stores — will open their doors on Thanksgiving, aiming to take advantage of the extra day of sales despite some consumers’ continued criticism of the practice.
“Retailers have been pushing the envelope on Thanksgiving for years, and people are still debating whether stores should be open,” said Kristin McGrath, editor of BlackFriday.com, which compiles Black Friday ads and hours. “Some people say it’s a sacred day, while
others say they enjoy going out.”
Opening early, late
Grocers, including San Antoniobased H-E-B, have historically been open on Thanksgiving to help home chefs procure forgotten ingredients before the big meal. HE-B, Kroger, Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Market will open Thursday morning, but will close early: 2 p.m. for H-E-B and Whole Foods, and 4 p.m. for Kroger and Sprouts.
Big-box and department stores plan to welcome shoppers who aren’t too sleepy after eating turkey. Target and Best Buy will open at 5 p.m., Walmart will open an hour later.
Department stores Macy’s and Kohl’s will open at 5 p.m. Gordmans, owned by Houston-based Stage Stores, will be open from 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving until 1 a.m., and reopen 6 a.m. on Black Friday.
Houston-based Academy Sports + Outdoors will be closed on Thanksgiving, but Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas will be open. Dick’s will open at 6 p.m., while Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. REI, which took a public stand several years ago against opening on the holiday, will remain closed on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
Several struggling retailers have little choice but to open on Thanksgiving. Kmart, JC Penney and GameStop will be open, as will Bed Bath & Beyond, for the first time this year. Mattress Firm, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy a year ago, will have some stores open 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
“When you’re not at the top of the retail pyramid, you’re fighting for survival,” O’Shea with Moody’s said. “You’ve got to capture every single sale.”
Under pressure
Retailers are feeling more pressure to capture sales this year, especially with Thanksgiving falling on Nov. 28, the latest since 2013 and nearly a week later than last year.
“The holiday season is shorter, compressing the number of days of shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Venky Shankar, research director for Texas A&M University’s Center for Retailing Studies. “Retailers started the holiday season as early as October.”
Many major retailers launched online discounts well before the Black Friday bonanza, and are offering “buy online, pick up in store” options this holiday season in an effort to draw online shoppers into brick-and-mortar stores.
Amazon began its “Countdown to Black Friday” deals on Nov. 22. Kohl’s started offering early Black Friday deals online on Monday morning. Macy’s, JCPenney, Target and Walmart will launch online deals on Wednesday.
Although consumers may debate whether retailers should start the holiday season in October or whether stores should be closed on Thanksgiving, it’s clear some shoppers take advantage of early Black Friday sales, online and in stores. Nearly 40 million Americans say they plan to shop on Thanksgiving, and nearly 60 percent said they plan to begin Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving, according to surveys from the National Retail Federation and Deloitte.
“We see many people on our site Thanksgiving Day,” McGrath with BlackFriday.com said. “They’re not necessarily lining up, but they’re still very much shopping and maybe even doing it at the Thanksgiving table.”
paul.takahashi@chron.com twitter.com/paultakahashi