New York Times: More Retailers Are Choosing To Close On Thanksgiving Day

For the first time in years, retailers like Office Depot, Mall of America and HHGregg are closing their doors on Thanksgiving Day. According to the New York Times, companies are providing different reasons for the change, including a focus on employees spending time with family. But for the most part, retailers are indicating that it’s too much work without enough reward.

“Those who have opened on Thanksgiving Day have come to recognize that you don’t need to open that early to drive the kind of sales you need,” Wendy Liebmann, the chief executive of the consulting firm WSL Strategic Retail, told New York Times

These shifts are taking place amidst retailers scrambling to figure out how to adapt as Black Friday sales move online through companies like Amazon. “Consumers now know that they don’t have to line up at five o’clock in the morning,” said Joel Bines, a co-head of the retail arm of AlixPartners, an advisory firm.