Black Friday in 2014 has turned into Black Thanksgiving but a number of stores are bucking the trend of starting the holiday shopping season before the turkey has a chance to cool.
Though a number of stores have pushed their Black Friday 2014 sales into Thursday, a number of stores (including Costco) have decided to remain closed on Thursday. Now others are joining in, with GameStop and Nordstrom announcing that they too will let Black Friday stay on Friday.
For Costco , the decision to not start Black Friday until Friday was a response to consumer pressure. As more stores have opened on Thanksgiving, shoppers have responded with an outcry, crafting petitions and calling for better conditions for the mostly low-wage workers forced to come in on their holiday.
Costco mentioned its employees in the announcement it would open on Friday, saying they “deserve the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with their families.”
On the other side of the coin is Macy’s, which led the charge to push the shopping season into Thanksgiving when it announced last year it would open at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Others joined in, including Best Buy and Walmart, though not all are doing it enthusiastically.
As Time noted, Macy’s cited customer demand in making its decision to open on Thanksgiving:
“Macy’s confirmed its 6 p.m. opening begrudgingly, almost apologetically, this week after a letter from company executives to employees was leaked to the media. A Macy’s spokesperson explained via statement to the (Minneapolis) Star-Tribune that the move was based on ‘significant, sustained customer interest,’ and that last year’s Thanksgiving hours were supposedly a big hit with Macy’s workers. ‘We also heard last year from many associates who appreciated the opportunity to work on Thanksgiving so they could have time off on Black Friday.’”
But others believe the push to bring Black Friday 2014 into Thursday could eventually be the downfall of the annual post-Thanksgiving event. Bill Tancer, head of global research for Experian Marketing Services, said consumers could be seeing the “extinction” of Black Friday as many simply turn away rather than face the crowds and tension of the shopping bonanza.
