Thanksgiving, Black Friday 2016 Retail Store Hours: Update

If your family's Thanksgiving tradition includes busting down store doors for the best bargains on holiday gifts fueled by turkey and pie, then many national retailers are ready for you. Stores open on Thanksgiving include Target, Belk, Kohl's, Toys R Us, Macy's, Stein Mart, Walmart, Best Buy and Gordmans.

Debate over whether to shop on Thanksgiving has been fierce in recent years as Black Friday spills over into Thanksgiving evening; some object to employees having to work that night, while some workers love getting paid double or triple time.

The pushback on Thanksgiving shopping has dozens of national stores vowing to keeps their doors closed on Thanksgiving 2016. Those taking the day off from the Nov. 24 shopping frenzy include Apple, Barnes & Noble, Burlington Coat Factory, DSW, Nordstrom and T.J. Maxx.

Store opening hours for Thanksgiving and Black Friday for a few retailers include:

• ToysRUs, 5 p.m. Thursday, open until 11 p.m. on Black Friday
• Target, 6 p.m. Thursday, open at 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Black Friday
• Belk, 4 p.m. Thursday, open at 6 a.m. Friday
• Macy's, 5 p.m. Thursday to 2 a.m. Friday, open again at 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday
• BestBuy, 5 p.m. Thursday, open Friday (Store hours vary by locations)
• Gordmans, 5 p.m. Thursday, open at 5 a.m. Friday
• BassPro, 8 a.m. Thursday, open at 5 a.m. Friday
• Kohl's, 6 p.m. Thursday, open on Friday, time not yet released
• Nordstrom, closed on Thanksgiving, open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday (some locations may vary)
• T.J.Maxx, closed on Thanksgiving, open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday (some locations may vary)
• Stein Mart, 5 p.m. Thursday, open at 7 a.m. Friday
• Walmart, 6 p.m. Thursday, open Friday (Store hours vary by locations)
• JCPenney, 3 p.m. Thursday, open to 5 p.m. on Black Friday
• Kmart, 7 p.m. Thursday, open until 2 p.m. on Black Friday
• Sears, 6 p.m. Thursday, open at 5 a.m. Friday

The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, announced a change from past seasons and will stay shuttered on Thanksgiving and open at 5 a.m. on Black Friday. The mall has been open on Thanksgiving Day since 2012, but mall officials told The Associated Press they want to offer workers time with their families on the holiday.

Retailing experts are waiting to see if the change of heart by the country’s largest mall will prompt other retailers to do the same. So far, BestBlackFriday.com says more than 40 stores will be closed on Thanksgiving — see the full updated list below, which has grown.

Three states — Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine — have laws that require stores to close on holidays.
Consumers are ready to buy, and one forecaster expects sales in November and December to increase a healthy 3.6 percent to $655.8 billion, says the National Retail Federation. That’s significantly higher than the 10-year average of 2.5 percent and above the seven-year average of 3.4 percent since recovery began in 2009. Online sales should increase between 7 and 10 percent to as much as $117 billion.

Here is the updated BestBlackFriday.com and TheBlackFriday.com list of stores closed on Thanksgiving:

• A.C. Moore (Allow employees to spend time with family)
• AAFES
• Academy Sports + Outdoors
• American Girl
• AT&T
• Barnes & Noble
• Bed Bath & Beyond (Select locations)
• BJ’s Wholesale Club
• Blain’s Farm & Fleet
• Burlington Coat Factory
• Cabela’s (Retail closed; call centers open)
• Christmas Tree Shops (Select locations)
• Costco
• Crate and Barrel
• Dillard’s (Allow employees to spend time with family)
• DSW
• Fred Meyer
• GameStop (5 a.m. Black Friday opening)
• Gardner-White Furniture (8 a.m. Black Friday opening)
• Guitar Center
• Half Price Books
• Hhgregg
• Harbor Freight
• Hobby Lobby
• Home Depot
• HomeGoods
• IKEA
• Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores
• Jos. A. Bank
• Lowe’s
• Mall of America
• Marshalls
• Mattress Firm
• Menards
• Mills Fleet Farm
• Navy Exchange
• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom (non-store employees working)
• Nordstrom Rack
• Office Depot and Office Max
• Original Mattress Factory
• Outdoor Research
• P.C. Richard & Son
• Patagonia
• Petco
• PetSmart
• Pier 1 Imports
• Publix
• Raymour and Flanagan Furniture (8 a.m. Black Friday opening)
• REI
• Sam’s Club
• Sierra Trading Post
• Staples
• The Container Store
• T.J. Maxx
• Tractor Supply
• Von Maur (9 a.m. Black Friday opening)

»Patch file photo