Big chains scale back holiday openings and shift resources toward blockbuster sales events.
Major retailers are cutting back Thanksgiving operating hours while intensifying focus on Black Friday. The move reflects changing shopper expectations and labor concerns.
Large retail chains are rethinking how they handle the Thanksgiving-to-Black Friday shopping window, with many shortening or eliminating holiday hours and investing more heavily in Black Friday promotions instead. The shift follows years of criticism over holiday staffing and questions about whether Thanksgiving openings were truly necessary.
Executives say that online shopping and extended promotional calendars have reduced the need for brick-and-mortar stores to remain open deep into the holiday. Instead, companies are pouring resources into logistics, staffing and marketing for Black Friday and the surrounding weekend.
Labour advocates have long pressed retailers to allow more workers to spend Thanksgiving at home with family. Shorter hours and closures on the holiday have been welcomed by many employees, who say the change acknowledges their personal time and well-being.
For shoppers, the move may mean fewer last-minute in-store options on Thanksgiving itself but more concentrated deals once Black Friday begins. The trend suggests that retailers are aligning more closely with consumer behavior — and a growing emphasis on balancing convenience with work-life considerations.
