Will family values resonate this Thanksgiving?

By Tom Ryan

NOVEMBER 10, 2014

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Last week, a heap of retailers joined Macy's and Kohl's in announcing earlier Thanksgiving openings. At the same time, family value statements continued to roll out from others that have chosen to stay closed on the holiday.

"As a family-oriented store, it is important for our associates to be able to spend the holiday with family," said Rodney Faldyn, Academy Sports + Outdoors' president and CEO, in a press release.

Costco earlier last month said its employees "deserve the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with their families." Dillard's explained that its decision was part of its "longstanding tradition of honoring of our customers' and associates' time with family."

GameStop chose to stay dark "out of respect for our store associates and their families and friends. We believe it's the right decision not only for our employees, but also for our customers. Enjoy this time with your loved ones and we'll see you on Black Friday."

Others resisting Thanksgiving openings are Nordstrom, Burlington, REI, Barnes & Noble, TJ Maxx, BJ's and Sam's Club.

Among the Thanksgiving crowd so far, Macy's, Kohl's, Sears and Staples are opening at 6 p.m., back from 8 p.m. last year. J.C. Penney will open at 5, compared to 8:00 p.m. in 2013. Toys "R" Us will open at 5 p.m., same as last year.

Those opening on the holiday claim customers want to shop earlier. Said Steven Tanger, CEO of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, which is opening at 6 p.m., "Our customers are increasingly requesting to shop early for the best deals and our retail partners are eager to accommodate this new family tradition."

Stores are also competing against a major online shopping day, and Macy broke Black Friday weekend records last year in opening on Thanksgiving for the first time. Macy's also expects most employees working will be volunteers and internal feedback found many wanted to work the holiday to get Black Friday off and appreciate the time-and-a-half pay.

An Accenture survey conducted in September found that those planning to shop on Thanksgiving Day and evening rose to 45 percent this year, up from 38 percent last year. Of those consumers planning to shop on the holiday, 47 percent planned to visit a physical store between 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day and 5 a.m. on Black Friday. Fewer shoppers compared to last year (32 percent versus 41 percent) said that interfering with family time was a reason to not shop in a physical store on Thanksgiving.

A Retailmenot survey conducted in October found 22 percent of consumers felt retailers being open on Thanksgiving Day gives people "something fun to do" on the holiday.