Target to keep stores closed on Thanksgiving

Target will no longer open its stores on Thanksgiving Day, making permanent a shift to the unofficial start of the holiday season that was suspended during the pandemic. To limit crowds in stores, retailers last year were forced to turn what had become a weekend shopping blitz into an extended event with holiday sales beginning as early as October. That forced shift turned out to be a good move. U.S. holiday sales in November and December rose 8.2 percent from the previous year, and the National Retail Federation predicts that this year could shatter that record, growing between 8.5 percent and 10.5 percent.