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More retailers will not open on Thanksgiving

But the “big boys” like Walmart, Target and Best Buy are expected to be doing business in their stores and online.

   As transportation and logistics providers gear up for the holiday season, more retailers are announcing they will not open on Thanksgiving.
   “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,” said BestBlackFriday.com, which now lists nearly 100 national and regional retailers that will be closed Nov. 22.
   Among the major retailers that have announced they will not open on Thanksgiving are Academy Sports, Crate and Barrel, The Home Depot, IKEA and Lowe’s.
   But many major retailers can’t afford to be closed on Thanksgiving, according to BestBlackFriday.com.
   “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,” it said.
   BestBlackFriday.com cited Adobe, which reported shoppers spent $2.87 billion online on Thanksgiving last year, 18.3 percent more than the year before.
   The website also pointed to ShopperTrak, which said Thanksgiving foot traffic was down last year. “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.”

Kim Link Wills

Senior Editor Kim Link-Wills has written about everything from agriculture as a reporter for Illinois Agri-News to zoology as editor of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. Her work has garnered awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Magazine Association of the Southeast. Prior to serving as managing editor of American Shipper, Kim spent more than four years with XPO Logistics.