Stores Closed On Thanksgiving Day 2018
by Phil Dengler
62 Total Stores
With Black Friday and Thanksgiving foot traffic slowly decreasing and online sales booming, many stores find it unnecessary to open their doors on Turkey Day. Thanksgiving Day is on Thursday, November 22, 2018, this year, and nearly 100 well-known national and regional retailers will be closed. Some stores will also be closed on Black Friday 2018, but that list has remained stable in recent years.
Here is the official list of stores that will be closed on Thanksgiving Day in 2018. BestBlackFriday.com personally confirmed the closed status with a representative or PR contact from each of these retailers, and the list will be updated daily as more stores make their decision. Also see our expected Stores Open on Thanksgiving Day 2018 list.
Stores Closed on Thanksgiving Day 2018 List
As more stores confirm their status with us, we will add them to the above closed list. Last year, GameStop shocked everyone by announcing it would be open on Thanksgiving after being closed the previous few years. On the other hand, Stein Mart and Shoe Carnival decided to close last year after being open in previous years. REI started a very small trend of a handful of stores closing on Black Friday a few years back, but that has leveled off and we are not expecting any notable additions this year. You can review last year’s list to get an idea of what other stores should eventually be added to the list. Some stores will wait until their official flyer is released to reveal their status, so you can see our Black Friday 2018 Ads for more confirmations.
Will There Be Any Shocking Additions to the List in 2018?
Most likely not. While stores like Stein Mart and Shoe Carnival reversed course last year and closed on Thanksgiving, the more popular GameStop decided it needed to be open. While many Americans do not view stores deciding to open on Thanksgiving in a favorable light (more on that below), the fact is many major retailers just cannot afford to close. Despite Thanksgiving foot traffic slowly declining, the number of Americans who frequent stores on that day is still extremely high, which means the big boys, including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Macy’s, and Kohl’s, will all likely stay open.
Even though it is unlikely any major retailer decides to make a stand and close its doors on Thanksgiving Day 2018, there is a strong chance a second-tier store decides to do it for the first time. It will most likely be a regional department store or a niche retailer that can get away with closing while also benefiting from the positive press.
Isn’t Closing on Thanksgiving Day Bad for Business?
Despite there being tremendous opportunity for more sales by being open on Thanksgiving, many stores are opting to stay closed. Every store has its own personal reason for the decision, but we have noticed a common theme over the years — family time. Retailers understand that Thanksgiving is one of the top family-oriented holidays, and people just do not want to work. In addition to taking care of employees, many stores have also told us they do not want to force their customers into thinking they must shop in-store on Thanksgiving Day to get the best deals. We agree with the stance and commend stores into giving employees a much-needed break for Turkey Day.
Conversely, we do not believe that stores who remain open on Thanksgiving Day are evil. Many stores allow employees to volunteer to work before assigning shifts to fill in the gaps. In other situations, some people do not mind working or may actually prefer to work. We have had numerous retail employees reach out to us over the years stating their desire to work on Thanksgiving for various reasons.
In the end, many of the stores on the closed list still have online sales on Thanksgiving. Additionally, shoppers can simply wait a few more hours to take advantage of the numerous in-store discounts.
Official Store Statements on Deciding to Close on Thanksgiving Day 2018
In addition to confirming their closed status with us, a few retailers issued statements and expanded reasons on why they made the tough decision. Here are a few notable ones.
Academy Sports – “As a family-oriented store, Academy Sports + Outdoors keeps its locations closed on Thanksgiving because we believe it is important to provide our team members and customers the opportunity to spend more time with family and friends.”
Costco – “As an appreciation of all the hard work our employees do over the course of the year, we have always closed on Thanksgiving to give our employees a chance to relax and enjoy time with their families.”
Guitar Center – “At its core, music is about bringing people together. Guitar Center will close all stores on Thanksgiving Day to ensure our store employees have the opportunity to spend quality time with friends and family, fostering connections and shared experiences through music.” – Wayne Colwell, EVP of Stores, Guitar Center
Mattress Firm – “At Mattress Firm, we value the importance of family and tradition. As in years past, we will not be opening our stores on Thanksgiving Day. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our employees throughout the year. We know the power of sleep and believe our team deserves this time to rest and spend time with their loved ones.” – Steve Stagner, executive chairman, president and CEO of Mattress Firm
TJX Group – “Similar to years past, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Sierra Trading Post, and Homesense stores will be closed on Thanksgiving and are scheduled to open on Friday morning, November 23. We consider ourselves an Associate-friendly company and we are pleased to give Associates the time to enjoy Thanksgiving with family and friends.” – Andrew Mastrangelo, TJX spokesperson
West Marine – “West Marine Stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day so that associates can spend time with their families.”
Other retailers echoed a similar sentiment
Shoppers Want Stores to Close on Thanksgiving
2018 Survey Update – We have just completed our 2018 holiday shopping survey. While we do not yet have the complete article posted, we do have a few important stats regarding the American public’s opinion regarding stores that decide to open on Thanksgiving Day.
– Strongly Favor Thanksgiving Day Openings: 11.16 percent
– Favor Thanksgiving Day Openings: 13.51 percent
– Indifferent to Thanksgiving Day Openings: 27.67 percent
– Dislike Thanksgiving Day Openings: 18.67 percent
– Strongly Dislike Thanksgiving Day Openings: 28.99 percent
– Favor Thanksgiving Day Openings: 13.51 percent
– Indifferent to Thanksgiving Day Openings: 27.67 percent
– Dislike Thanksgiving Day Openings: 18.67 percent
– Strongly Dislike Thanksgiving Day Openings: 28.99 percent
We surveyed 1,069 Americans on September 30, 2018. The margin of error is ±3.1%. In other words, only 24.67 percent of Americans actually favor Thanksgiving openings, while 47.66 percent dislike Thanksgiving openings.
For comparison purposes, see stats from last year’s survey below.
According to our annual Thanksgiving Shopping Survey from 2017, 57.53 percent Americans said they were against stores being open on Thanksgiving, with 36.87 percent strongly against them. Only 16.22 percent said they favor Thanksgiving openings, with 5.60 percent stating they strongly favor it.
Thanksgiving Blue Laws Affect a Few States
Because of Thanksgiving Blue Laws, most retailers located in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine will be forced to close on Thanksgiving Day. While many consider such laws outdated and not relevant in 2018, they remain in place and will likely still be place as November approaches. That means every Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Macy’s, JCPenney, and GameStop location will be closed in those states. Other less notable stores will also be closed.
For practical reasons, restaurants, gas stations, and small grocery stores are allowed to remain open. The restriction is mainly on large supermarkets and large retail stores that are often associated with Black Friday shopping. The good news is anyone living in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine can take advantage of online sales on Thanksgiving.
Online Thanksgiving Shopping is Rapidly Expanding
Despite brick-and-mortar shopping on Thanksgiving still being a popular thing, online sales are higher than ever. According to Adobe, shoppers spent $2.87 billion online on Thanksgiving last year, which was 18.3 percent higher than the previous year. With more stores offering online doorbusters at similar prices to the their offline doorbusters, it makes sense that additional people are opting to shop online. Additionally, more stores have opted to close on Thanksgiving in recent years, which gives shoppers less opportunity overall to shop in-store on Turkey Day.
According to ShopperTrak, Thanksgiving foot traffic was down last year, while Black Friday foot traffic remained fairly stable. As ShopperTrak notes, shoppers are realizing they do not have to shop in-store on Thanksgiving to get the absolute lowest prices. Instead, they are purchasing online or shopping in-store on Black Friday or during Thanksgiving weekend.
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