Target says the store closures on Thanksgiving will be the new normal, permanently ending a tradition it has embraced for years. The move, announced Monday, comes as the Minneapolis-based discount company and other retailers including Walmart and Macy’s will close for the second consecutive Thanksgiving.
Matt Rourke / AP
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Matt Rourke / AP
Target says the store closures on Thanksgiving will be the new normal, permanently ending a tradition it has embraced for years. The move, announced Monday, comes as the Minneapolis-based discount company and other retailers including Walmart and Macy’s will close for the second consecutive Thanksgiving.
Matt Rourke / AP
NEW YORK – Target will no longer open its stores on Thanksgiving Day, making the move to the unofficial start of the holiday season suspended during the pandemic.
To limit crowding in stores, retailers last year were forced to turn what had become a weekend shopping spree into an extended event, with holiday sales starting early. especially in October.
That forced change seems to have been by accident.
U.S. holiday sales in November and December last year grew 8.2 percent in 2020 year-over-year, according to The National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group. The trade group predicts 2021 could break that record, rising from 8.5% to 10.5%.
Americans, which could get similar incentives over a broader period of time to relieve some of the stress that comes with the holidays, seem to accept the change.
“What started as a pandemic-driven interim measure is now our new standard – one that recognizes our ability to accommodate guests’ holiday wishes both during and after opening hours. door,” Target CEO Brian Cornell wrote in a note to employees.
The new standard at Target, building on last year’s very good sales, could push other retailers to follow its path.
Call and distribution centers will have some employees on Thanksgiving, Target said Monday, but stores will remain closed.
Target started opening its stores on Thanksgiving a decade ago, joining other retailers starting Black Friday sales a day early and creating a holiday craze after the chicken party. West. Many have done so to compete with Amazon.com and other growing online threats.
But this shift seems to merely eat up Black Friday sales. And the major retailers have suffered some backlash from critics, who say thousands are forced to work, rather than be with family, during the holidays.
Some stores and malls, such as the Mall of America in Minnesota, have ended operations and remain closed for Thanksgiving. Some, like Costco and Nordstrom, never open during the holiday, saying they want to respect the holiday.
Overall, Thanksgiving isn’t a big sales day, not in the top 10 because stores usually open around 5pm. However, it was a big online sale day.
Last year, the holiday only lasted Cyber Monday and Black Friday in online sales, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index.
