Retailers threatening to gobble up Thanksgiving by opening all day

The traditional Christmas shopping kickoff — the long Black Friday weekend — could completely swallow Thanksgiving Day this year, according to some retail industry analysts.

The after-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy has started earlier every year over the past decade, moving from 5 a.m. on Black Friday to midnight to 8 p.m. on Thursday. Last year, some stores started Black Friday sales as early as 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Talk about encroaching on the holiday. When is it going to end? Apparently, it’s not.

A report in the Wall Street Journal said Thanksgiving Day may be overtaken completely. While stores haven’t announced their opening times yet, “It’s inevitable to see them open all day or even earlier than last year,” Joel Bines, managing director of retail consulting firm AlixPartners, told the newspaper.

I get it. If I don’t want to shop I don’t have to. But to me, that’s not the point.

You can shop EVERY day. Part of what makes Thanksgiving a true national holiday is that it’s different than every other day of the year. Most people have the day off. Banks and post offices are closed. And, in the old days, retailers were closed as well.

I honestly don’t understand the appeal of shopping on a holiday. Please don’t tell me it’s for the great deals you’re going to get, because you’re not.

Research has shown that the deals are actually better the Friday before Thanksgiving or closer to Christmas Day. Let’s be honest, the big retailers offer a few “great” promotions to get you in the door on the holiday knowing full well that most people won’t get the “door-busters,” but will wind up shopping for other items instead.

Plus, it’s not really fair to store employees. Yes, some employees will want to work to get the overtime pay, but many complain they have no choice but to come in and that takes time away from family.

Unfortunately, the more people there are who don’t care what stores do, the more stores commercialize our holidays and take away the true meaning of them.

Stuff will always be there. Time with family and friends is irreplaceable.