Black Friday creep has finally hit a wall.
Some big-box stores first started encroaching on Thanksgiving Day in 2010. Since then, more have joined the groundswell and every year inched forward their store opening times an hour or two earlier in order to keep up with their competitors. But this year, that progression has come to a standstill.
On Tuesday, Richfield-based Best Buy Co. Inc. said it will open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, the same time as it did last year. In doing so, it will be among the earliest of big-box stores to open that day, joined by Toys 'R' Us.
Then at 6 p.m., Target, Macy's, and Kohl's, among others, will swing open their doors, also at the same time they did last year. Wal-Mart is expected to announce its hours later this week.
"It's been somewhat of a surprise we haven't seen more creep into Thanksgiving Day, and hopefully it will stay that way," said Ken Perkins, president of firm Retail Metrics. "I thought retailers would continue to push the envelope and end up where Kmart is, which is open all day."
Retailers likely judged that opening earlier probably would not attract more shoppers.
"When you push it earlier than 5 o'clock, you're pushing it into dinnertime for most Americans and the crowds are not going to be as robust," he said.
On top of that, with the growing importance of round-the-clock online shopping, retailers can still capture sales without their stores having to be physically open.