According to Ramon Avila, a marketing professor at Ball State University, there’s a simple reason for many major retailers staying closed this Thanksgiving. It’s all about boosting morale of weary front-line workers, he says.
“Over the past few years, we’ve heard a great deal of moaning and groaning by employees who have to come into work while their family is at home, enjoying Thanksgiving,” said Avila, the founding director of the university’s HH Gregg Center for Professional Selling. “People simply don’t want to walk away from young children or older relatives on what is supposed to be a very special day in our country.
“Many employees feel overworked and stressed,” he continued. “With the economy in much better shape, these same workers may be facing larger crowds this year than in the past.”
That may be true, though it does little for e-commerce employees, who largely are still compelled to work on the holiday. What’s more, retailers have seen during the past few years that opening on T-Day is not increasing sales but simply stretching Black Friday sales over two days, and hence adding cost to the same amount of sales. We tend to think this is more the reason why retail organizations are closing on T-Day.
Nonetheless, the good news is several major retail chains — including Home Depot, Lowe’s, Nordstrom, REI and Staples —announced intentions to remain closed. The Black Friday web site has a list of most major retailers that have come to the same conclusion: https://www.theblackfriday.com/stores-closed-on-thanksgiving-day.php
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