Illinois Stores Closed On Thanksgiving 2017 | The Latest

For some, it's a family tradition: Once the Thanksgiving turkey is eaten and the leftovers are put away, it's time to get ready for the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season known as Black Friday. While some retailers still look to capitalize on the early shopping frenzy by opening on Thanksgiving Day, others have responded to pushback from those who balk at the idea of employees having to work on the holiday. In recent years, some stores have vowed to remain closed on the family-feasting holiday.

Two blogs dedicated to Black Friday deals say 72 retailers will be closed on Thanksgiving Day 2017. The list is subject to change, and by the time Thanksgiving rolls around — this year it's on Nov. 23 — even more retailers are expected to confirm that they will be closed on the holiday.

Those taking the day off from the shopping frenzy also include H&M, Burlington Coat Factory, DSW, Home Depot, Neiman Marcus, Marshalls and T.J. Maxx. (See the full list below.)

"Over 75 well-known retailers are expected to be closed," the Best Black Friday blog reported. "Additionally, some stores will even be closed on Black Friday." (Subscribe to your local patch in Illinois for the latest breaking news and our daily newsletters.)

Some Illinois malls have closed for Thanksgiving in recent years, so keep an eye out for updates.

National retailers that are expected to open on Thanksgiving include Best Buy, Kohl's, Macy's, Sears, Target and Walmart. Target says it will close at midnight on Thanksgiving, then reopen at 6 a.m. Black Friday morning.

Consumers seem to be ready to spend on gifts, and one forecaster expects sales in November and December to increase a healthy 3.6 to 4 percent from $678.75 billion to $682 billion, up from $655.8 billion last year., 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.

RELATED: How To Win Black Friday 2017

So far, these are the Illinois retailers that have already announced Thanksgiving Day closings for 2017:

• Abt Electronics
• Academy Sports + Outdoors
• American Girl
• AT&T
• At Home
• Barnes & Noble
• Bed Bath & Beyond
• Blain’s Farm and Fleet
• Burlington
• Cabela’s
• Christopher and Banks
• Cost Plus World Market
• Costco
• Crate and Barrel
• DSW – Designer Shoe Warehouse
• Dillards
• Dress Mark
• Ethan Allen
• Fred Meyer
• Guitar Center
• H&M
• Half Price Books
• Harbor Freight
• Hobby Lobby
• Home Depot
• HomeGoods
• IKEA
• JOANN Fabric and Craft Stores
• Jos. A. Bank
• La-Z-Boy
• Lowe’s
• Marshalls
• Mattress Firm
• Menards
• Micro Center
• Music & Arts
• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom
• Nordstrom Rack
• Office Depot and OfficeMax
• Party City
• Patagonia
• Petco
• PetSmart
• Pier 1 Imports
• REI
• Sam’s Club
• Sears Hometown and outlet stores
• Shoe Carnival
• Sierra Trading Post
• Sprint (Corporate & Dealer Owned Stores; Mall Kiosks May Open)
• Staples
• Stein Mart
• Sur La Table
• The Container Store
• T.J. Maxx
• Tractor Supply
• Von Maur
• West Marine
• World Market

Deb Belt (Patch National Staff) contributed to this article

(Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)