Mixed Opinions As Macy's Prepares To Open For Thanksgiving Day Shopping
BALTIMORE (WJZ)— Breaking with tradition to compete for your dollar this holiday, Macy's is now set to open Thanksgiving night!
Christie Ileto has more on how this move has shoppers on the fence.
Black Friday will now start Thanksgiving Thursday for Macy's.
The retailer announces 750 of its 800 stores will join retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and Sears to get a jump-start on the holiday shopping. And that could mean the Macy's at Annapolis Mall.
"I think it's great. I know my mom really likes Macy's," said Alaya Brown, shopper.
But not every shopper is sold.
"I think Thanksgiving is more of a family time, so I can't imagine leaving my family to go shop," said Christine Bruner, shopper.
It has shoppers like Victoria Williams asking what about the employees.
"It's completely unfair to them," Williams said. "Why can't they have time with their families as well? It's Thanksgiving. There's got to be a line."
Last year, some Wal-Mart workers nationwide went on strike because they had to work on Thanksgiving among other things.
Competition isn't just intensifying between other retailers but also online, which is why stores are opening earlier and earlier every year.
"One of the things consumers have is a day off on Thanksgiving. They have time to shop, so why not be open? I think that's Macy's logic here," said economist Anirban Basu.
But Basu says that may not be enough.
"Consumer confidence is now falling. I think we all know about the many federal workers who have been furloughed. We've been talking about debt default this month. My sense is that people are going to pull back this holiday shopping season," Basu said.
Time will tell come November, as Macy's opens its doors at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
According to the National Retail Federation, they expect sales in November and December of this year to be 3.9 percent higher than last November and December.
Other Local News:
