In 2013, a variety of leading retailers, including Best Buy, J.C. Penney, Macy’s and Wal-Mart, opened stores and rolled out their sales earlier on Thanksgiving. This year, consumers should expect even more retailers taking this approach in an effort to drive sales, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Will the RTP editors be hitting the stores once they digest their turkey? The team shares their thoughts on this holiday retail business move.
Debbie Hauss, Editor-in-Chief: Retail is a business and retailers will open as early as they can if they think it will boost sales. Earlier openings during the past few years have done just that, so I will not be surprised to see retailers opening even earlier this year. Also, although we may think it’s a burden for the employees coming in on a holiday, they are getting paid and are agreeing to do it. That said, I will not be participating in the frenzy. I’d rather use my day off to stay home and enjoy my time with my family and friends.
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Alicia Fiorletta, Senior Editor: I’ve never been much of a Black Friday shopper, besides visiting a store or two in the afternoon once the dust settles. For me, it’s simply not worth getting out of bed and fighting my way through crowds. Same thing goes for Thanksgiving day shopping. Like Debbie, I’d rather spend my time home with family and friends. However, I do understand why people enjoy it, and the financial results, overall were positive, despite the public outcry.
Rob Fee, Managing Editor: I have no issue with a store opening at whatever time it chooses, though I hope that associates get some time to spend time with their families during the holidays. That said, I won’t be queuing up to do some shopping on Thanksgiving no matter how good the deals are. As the years have gone by, I increasingly shop online. It’s just more convenient. I would estimate that at least 75% of the gifts I bought last year were from online retailers. That number could go up this year.
Kim Zimmermann, Managing Editor: I generally buy things for people when I see something that inspires me and then I save it for a special occasion, so I don’t generally do all that much shopping around the holidays. I have a great nephew and his tech-savvy Millennial mom made a list on Amazon that worked well last year. So I may venture into a store or two, but not the way I have in years past.
Glenn Taylor, Associate Editor: On a personal note, there’s no way I would ever think about including myself in the chaos that is early holiday shopping. Last year’s record online sales for the Thanksgiving-Black Friday weekend show that many other customers feel the same way about the shopping experience. However, until these retailers actually are harmed monetarily, I feel it makes sense from a business standpoint for them to open their doors when they feel ready.
Brian Anderson, Associate Editor: While my holiday shopping is being handled online, I’m not too sure whether earlier store openings will have an impact on sales this holiday season. I believe that sales will increase due to consumers being more willing to spend more than they did last year (due to the slowly improving economy) and less on when a store opens.
What do you think about retailers opening their stores earlier on Thanksgiving? Is it a smart move or will it backfire? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
