Growing List of Stores Closing Thanksgiving Day: Victory for Family Traditionalists

It's still October, but a growing list of retailers have already announced plans to stay closed on Thanksgiving Day.

According to BestBlackFriday.com, the list includes Sioux Falls businesses such as Costco, Barnes and Noble, Home Depot, Office Depot, Mattress Firm, PetSmart, Staples, and OfficeMax.

This comes on the heels of the Mall of America announcing it will be closed on Turkey Day to allow employees time with friends and family.

So why the reversal of trends?

Could it be declining interest and sales? You bet. In-store Thanksgiving Day sales dropped by an estimated 12.5 percent last year, according to ShopperTrak.

The Empire Mall in Sioux Falls will open their doors on Thanksgiving Day at 6:00 PM, but retailers are not required to be open for business, according to Kirsten Schaffer, Director of Marketing.

This doesn't mean all stores are done with the Thanksgiving Day shopping, though. Macy's has been so successful on Turkey Day that this year stores will open an hour earlier-- at 5:00 PM.

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