Some Suburban Malls Opt to Close on Thanksgiving But Most Will Open

Several national retailers have chosen to buck the trend of opening on Thanksgiving this year, keeping their doors shuttered for the holiday. And now some suburban malls have also announced in recent weeks they will close for the holiday while others have chose to again open and offer sales prior to Black Friday.

Woodfield Mall, 5 Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, is among the malls that will open on Thanksgiving. Sales will start at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 24 and continue through 10 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25, Kurt Webb, general manager at Woodfield Mall, said in a statement.

“We do not require our retailers to open on Thursday, but the majority choose to do so due to customer interest,” Webb said.

Orland Square Mall, 288 Orland Square Drive, will be open from 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving to 1 a.m. on Nov. 25 and then will open again at 6 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 25 and remain open until 10 p.m. Like Woodfield Mall, it will be up to the retailers at Orland Square Mall whether they open, or stay closed, on Thanksgiving, said Kelley Santiago, public relations account manager for Goodman Public Relations, which handles the PR for both Woodfield and Orland Square.

Oakbrook Center, 100 Oakbrook Center, will have similar hours on Thanksgiving--opening from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. And then reopening at 6 a.m. on Friday and remaining open until 10 p.m. Yorktown Center in Lombard will be open from 7 p.m. until midnight on Thanksgiving and open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Black Friday.

Meanwhile, Hawthorne Mall in Vernon Hills, recently announced it will be closed on Thanksgiving.

The decision was made to “help renew the tradition of families spending Thanksgiving together and rekindle the magic of Black Friday as the official start of the holiday shopping season,” according to a statement from the mall.

Black Friday savings will start at 6 a.m. on Nov. 25 at the mall, which is located at 122 Hawthorn Center. Information on promotions and deals can be found here.

The suburban mall announced its decision to close in a “Back to Black Friday” event on Facebook. An Antioch woman praised the mall’s decision in a Facebook event: “Good for you guys for standing up to this "open on Thanksgiving" garbage. Thanksgiving should be spent with family, not racing people to the next great sale.”

Fox Valley Mall, 195 Fox Valley Center in Aurora, will also be closed Thanksgiving Day. The mall will open at 6 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 25, and remain open through 10 p.m.

"The mall will be closed on Thanksgiving so our employees can enjoy the holiday with their families," according to Fox Valley Mall officials.

Department stores hours may vary at the mall over the holiday and those wanting more information should contact the stores directly.

Algonquin Commons, 1900 S. Randall Road in Algonquin, will technically be closed on Thanksgiving but stores at the mall will have the option to open if they choose.

"We are an outdoor mall. Each store has their own entry. They are allowed to be open what ever hours they wish above and beyond the set retailer hours," Kim Gilmore, spokeswoman for Algonquin Commons, said.

The stores will open at 6 a.m. on Black Friday. A representative from the mall shared the following holiday hours schedule.

Here is a look at the hours of operations for other suburban malls:

• Chicago Premium Outlets, 1650 Premium Outlet Boulevard: Open from 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Thanksgiving and then from 12 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Black Friday.
• Fashion Outlets, 5220 Fashion Outlets Way in Rosemont: Open fom 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving until 10 p.m. on Black Friday.
• Westfield Fox Valley Mall: ONLY anchor stores at Westfield Fox Valley Mall, 195 Fox Valley Center in Aurora, will be open on Thanksgiving. JCPenney opens at 3 p.m.; Macy's and Carson Pirie Scott open at 5 p.m.; Sears opens at 6 p.m. The mall will reopen at 6 a.m. on Nov. 24. For full mall hours visit the mall’s website. Information on holiday deals is available on the mall’s website.
• Geneva Commons: Some of the stores at Geneva Commons, 602 Commons Drive in Geneva, will open Thanksgiving, Nov. 24. American Eagle opens at 11 p.m. and will remain open until 10 p.m. Friday. Yankee Candle will be open Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. Dick's Sporting Goods will be open 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. For individual store hours for Black Friday, check the mall’s website.
• Randhurst Village Mall: The individual office an store hours at Randhurst Village Mall, 55 E Euclid Ave #450 in Mount Prospect, vary and shoppers should check with the individual store for hours of operation, according to the mall’s website.
• Gurnee Mills: Gurnee Mills mall, 6170 W. Grand Avenue in Gurnee, will open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, and stay open until 1 a.m. The mall will reopen at 6 a.m. on Black Friday, Nov. 25, and close at 9:30 p.m. Full hours are listed on the mall’s website.

National Retailers: What's Open, What's Closed on Thanksgiving?

Not all national retailers have yet announced their Thanksgiving hours, but those that have include Target, Belk, Kohls, Toys R Us, Macys, 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
• Macys, 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
• Kohls, 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)

More on Patch: Thanksgiving, Black Friday 2016 Store Hours for National Retailers

»Patch file photo

Deb Belt contributed to this article