Retailers prefer to stay home and eat turkey in move away from Thanksgiving doorbusters

Already the battle of Thanksgiving retail is playing out with early decisions whether to be open or closed Nov. 24.

For now, the rush is on to announce who will be closed that day.

In light of Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops’ announcement earlier this week of their merger, there could be a looming culture clash in regard to store holiday policies.

Cabela’s is listed as closed for Thanksgiving on bestblackfriday.com, although its call centers will be open. Most Bass Pro sites are scheduled to be open, according to holidayshoppinghours.com.

Bass Pro did not respond for comment about its Tacoma store.

Minnesota’s Mall of America, the largest U.S. mall, announced Wednesday (Oct. 5) that it will close as many of its operations as possible, including its movie theaters and Nickelodeon Universe. The mall’s stores will have the option to be open, though the mall expects few to do so, according to The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“We’re excited to give this day back to our employees so they can celebrate with their families,” Jill Renslow, the mall’s senior vice president of marketing and business development, told the Star Tribune.

What about here?

On Friday, Stephanie Kirk, a public relations representative for the Tacoma Mall, responded via email that the mall will be open 6 p.m.-1 a.m Thanksgiving night. The mall does not require retailers to be open that day.

No word as of Friday as to what Olympia’s Capital Mall will decide, though both it and the Tacoma Mall in the past have opened their doors with early Black Friday sales starting Thanksgiving afternoon and evening.

Two years ago, Capital Mall stores faced fines if they were closed on the holiday. No fines were issued after retailer complaints.

Last year, REI made headlines by being closed both Thanksgiving and Black Friday with its OptOutside campaign.

Other retailers, such as Costco, have made it a practice to be closed for Thanksgiving because its workers “deserve the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with their families,” the chain told CNNMoney in 2014. Nordstrom also stays closed for Thanksgiving, with a policy not to bring out a single speck of Christmas tinsel until Thanksgiving is over.

Among the growing list of stores listed on multiple online Black Friday sites as not open on Thanksgiving:

Barnes & Noble

Bed Bath & Beyond (select locations)

Home Depot

HomeGoods

Lowe’s

Marshalls

PetSmart

Petco

Pier 1 Imports

Staples

T.J. Maxx

But if you really want to break out your credit card that day, online retail takes no Thanksgiving break.

This story was originally published October 7, 2016 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Retailers prefer to stay home and eat turkey in move away from Thanksgiving doorbusters."