Christmas SHopping on Thanksgiving maybe a new tradition

**imagine** · 11-28-2011, 12:06 PM

The holiday creep might be hear to stay at least according to this article.

"Earlier than ever store openings and steep discounts helped retailers notch record sales this Black Friday weekend, according to early reports."

"I would say that means we will have to be on the look-out for a new tradition and that is more and more stores will be opening on Thanksgiving night next year," Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at the NPD Group, said in a statement."

Black Friday: Record $52.4 billion spent, according to NRF - Nov. 27, 2011

**craftypam** · 11-28-2011, 04:19 PM

I have to tell you I'm glad they did. I have shopped at Kohl's the day after Thanksgiving and waited in line for hours. This year I ordered online on Thanksgiving morning. I got an ad on Friday and went to the store to pick up an item; IT WAS WONDERFUL SO PEACEFUL; NO LONG LINES. So they can open on Thanksgiving so I can shop peacefully on Friday.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 11-28-2011, 06:16 PM

I'd like to know how many of these Black Friday shoppers were Occupy protesters...

sorry, just a thought.

**SewFrugal** · 11-28-2011, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by MomToTwoBoys

I'd like to know how many of these Black Friday shoppers were Occupy protesters...

sorry, just a thought.

That made me chuckle. I've never been a Black Friday shopper, and I don't hold it against anyone who is. I just do not think it should start on Thanksgiving day. I'd like to see a push back where consumers say enough is enough and not fall for all these marketing gimmicks from retailers to get us to part with our cash.

That being said . . . . I'll get off my high horse now . . . and admit that I did do my shopping online . . . . Yeah I fell for it hook, line, & sinker.

**Spirit Deer** · 11-28-2011, 10:08 PM

No one is required to shop on any given day. It's simple. If people don't want to shop on Thanksgiving, then they shouldn't.

It's too bad we can't move Thanksgiving to October. I'm always envious of the Canadians who get to go camping on their long Thanksgiving weekend. It's usually too cold for us to go on American Thanksgiving.

**FrabjousDay** · 11-28-2011, 10:17 PM

Ugh, I hope not. Gross.

**Cedar** · 11-29-2011, 07:23 AM

It won't be a new tradition for me.

I feel like Thanksgiving is being forgotten. All of my local stores started putting out christmas decorations right after Halloween, and we had several stores open on Thanksgiving. It seems to me like people are warping Thanksgiving into a holiday where you stuff yourself with food, sit around watching TV, and then go shopping for hours on end. That doesn't sound much different than a normal day for some Americans, and it certainly isn't the true spirit of Thanksgiving. Much as I love Christmas and the feeling of the season, I hate that Thanksgiving has become such an unimportant holiday in most people's minds.

**steelergal** · 11-29-2011, 08:23 AM

I hate to admit it, but I was one of those shoppers on Thanksgiving morning, mainly because our Turkey lacings disappeared and I ran to the store for my mom, the closet places was Walgreens and Rite Aid (I bought a few deals I stumbled across looking for those lacings). Anyways I was surprised of the amount of people snagging deals (the deals I found on Thanksgiving was actually better than Black Fridays) and I heard a few people say instead of celebrating Thanksgiving, it's their weekend of shopping.

**nuisance26** · 11-29-2011, 08:52 AM

~I have mixed feelings about how it went this year. On one hand, I thought the overnight openings gave the young, who hadn't been working all day to create and clean up a holiday feast, an unfair advantage. On the other hand, when I went out Friday morning around 8am, the traffic was just a bit above average and the parking lots were less than half full. I was able to get the help of three store associates to help with my purchase with no waiting in lines or being bombarded by hoards of people.
I bought something online on BF for the first time this year. DH has bought games and dvd's before but I'd always gone to the thrift store and had my fill of shopping. This year the thrift wasn't open so I bought dd her booster seat.

With sales up so much this year it makes me wonder if everyone is done or almost done with their Christmas buying. Will the next couple of weeks be weak in sales? I hope so but I doubt it. Nothing short of abysmal sales from here to Christmas will convince retailers to start their promotions a little closer to the actual holiday they think people are shopping for.~

**imagine** · 11-29-2011, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by nuisance26

...With sales up so much this year it makes me wonder if everyone is done or almost done with their Christmas buying. Will the next couple of weeks be weak in sales? ...

Nothing short of abysmal sales from here to Christmas will convince retailers to start their promotions a little closer to the actual holiday they think people are shopping for.~

Good point/ Good thought question

I hear analyst say that normally good Black Friday Sales means a good holiday season but that might not hold true always. He went on to say if because of economics the Black Friday sales were good because most shoppers were doing all or most of there shopping then and are done leading to weak sales the rest of the weeks until Christmas the season would be a failure ( I assume he meant the retail shopping season and failure for the stores not for celebrators )

So only time will tell are people shopping early and only planning on giving $2.90 waffle irons and $1.96 DVD's due to tight purse strings or will there be more shopping.

I know at least here for me most of the shopping changed from Good deals to what could be made with stuff we already had on hand.

If we scaled back it is not a stretch that regular retail shoppers moved to Black Friday sales and shopping might be over.

Okay long ramble to say Good question and would make a good spin off if you wish to make one.

**Spirit Deer** · 11-29-2011, 02:29 PM

The genie is out of the bottle now, and really, it has been for several years. Stores being open on Thanksgiving is nothing new. Our local discounter has been open Thanksgiving Day for a few years now and offering really good deals, which we sometimes take advantage of. Retailers are not going to stop being open on Thanksgiving. It worked out well for them, so where is the incentive not to do it?

Thanksgiving is what you personally choose to make of it. If you don't want to shop Thanksgiving Day, no one will force you to.

**nuisance26** · 11-30-2011, 07:15 AM

~I agree to an extent Deer but if all retailers move to Thanksgiving shopping, people will start to have to make the choice between celebrating their holiday or shopping for the next one. It may turn into a situation where it would cost you spend Thanksgiving eating, visiting and giving thanks.
Say you have 20 items on your list. Regular prices total almost $1000 but Black Friday/Thanksgiving Creep prices add up to about $500. So not shopping the doorbusters could cost you $500.
Sure you could shop all year and maybe get everything for in the $700 range but Thanksgiving at home would still "cost" you $100-300.
I'm afraid when people start thinking this way, they'll choose to abandon T-day as we know it. When money is tight and expectations are high, people can go a little crazy.
We frugal all year/homemade gifts people are in the minority. Most people can't wrap their minds around other ways to celebrate the holiday. I feel like I'm watching the lemmings race toward the cliff.

~

**dancemommy** · 11-30-2011, 07:30 AM

I think it is a great OPTION to be able to shop on Thanksgiving night. That being said, this was the first year we didn't shop BF sales. Our family's dinner was Thursday evening and I wasn't willing to leave early to get in line to shop. Also, I tend to impulse buy when I shop on BF and am trying to stick to a list this year. We ordered the one item I was interested in online for the same price as the BF sales.

**Sumacaroni** · 11-30-2011, 07:49 AM

The past two years I go online Weds before T-day and fill my cart with the items I'd like to buy, get up T-day morning and do the checkout within a few minutes. Deals are the same online as in the stores for the gifts I wish to purchase. I did, however, go to JoAnn Fabrics to take advantage of the additional 25% off til noon coupon - was a waste of an extreme amount of time for $20 worth, IMO. Two hours in the fabric cutting line and another 1/2 hour to get through the checkout register line. A seriously flawed system! Will never do that again since the licensed fleece I went there to buy was not even in stock -- even though they told me Weds night that it was "on the truck" so I assumed it would be off the truck for Friday morning only to be told that the NFL fleece never came.

**Ceashels** · 11-30-2011, 08:52 AM

I hate to see Thanksgiving get trampled on as it is my favorite holiday. But growing up in a small family and I, not a fan of football, being able to go to the store after an early dinner would offer a leisure activity for those like me.

Mom and I got into the habit of making holiday cookies on Thanksgiving after everything was put away... Sometimes it became a 1-2 bottle of wine event. ROFL