It's a trend that appears here to stay: Many retailers both nationwide and here on Long Island plan to be open at least part of Thanksgiving Day.
It's becoming increasingly normal that large numbers of shoppers shake off their post-feast grogginess and head out to area malls and big box stores, industry publications say. Thursday should be no exception:
The list includes:
Sears, such as the one in Hicksville, and Wal-Mart stores, including East Meadow, plan to open at 8 p.m. Thursday and remain open overnight until 10 p.m. on Black Friday.
Target stores (including Hicksville) open from 9-11 p.m. Thanksgiving, then close to re-open in the morning on Friday.
Toys R Us will open either at 9 or 10 p.m. Thursday and will stay open through 10 p.m. on Black Friday night. Some variations on these business hours are possible. The list, however, is not merely contained to big box stores. Smaller chain stores ranging from in inventory from The Children’s Place to Victoria's Secret all plan Thanksgiving hours. Check with local stores for details.
Most Nassau and Suffolk county supermarkets, among them Shop&Stop in Oyster Bay, will operate on limited hours and close mid afternoon. Many drugstores, such as Walgreens on South Oyster Bay Road just over the Plainview line, are open for business at 9 a.m. Thursday. Some pharmacies close early or never open on Thanksgiving. Check ahead with yours.
Some consumers and others complain that the trend is disturbing because it forces some workers and large numbers of family members to skip out on the national holiday devoted to giving thanks. Some employees have leveled criticism in the form of petitions, USA Today reported.
For the second year in a row, employees of retailers including Target, Walmart and Toys R Us have started or signed petitions on Change.org calling for Thanksgiving Day off.
Not everyone is complaining. A recent survey by Deloitte showed 23 percent plan to shop in stores on Thanksgiving Day - up from 17 percent in last year's survey, according to a report in Reuters. Financial data on the impact of Thanksgiving openings is elusive, but a Deloitte executive said it is likely that sales made that day merely shift spending, not create more spending.
Some major shopping malls, including the Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington and the Broadway Mall in Hicksville, open at midnight Friday and stays open until 10 p.m. The Sunrise Mall in Massapequa, however, opens at 5 a.m. Friday.
What is not open for the most part are small business providers, such as local restaurants. Most family-run businesses take the day off along with family-run restaurants, delicatessens and most bakeries. If you want those local treats on your holiday table, you need to get them before Wednesday night.
