Iowa Retailers Closed On Thanksgiving: Update

DES MOINES, IA — The number of retailers nationally that will be closed on Thanksgiving is expected to be on pace with last year, putting a damper on the dreams of consumers who may have hoped they wouldn't have to rush out the door before their holiday dinner dishes have been cleared to get in on pre-Black Friday sales.

The website BestBlackFriday.com surveyed 523 American adults to see how the public feels about shopping on the holiday, and more than 57 percent dislike that stores are open on Thanksgiving.

That's up from just under 55 percent who last year said they disliked Thanksgiving sales hours. Among this year's respondents:

• 5.6 percent strongly favor Thanksgiving shopping
• 10.62 percent favor it
• 26.25 percent were indifferent
• 20.66 percent dislike it
• 36.87 percent strongly dislike it

Some of the country's largest retail chains plan to offer Thanksgiving sales on November 23 to lure customers into their stores on the holiday. Best Buy, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Michael's, Sears, Target, Toys R Us and Walmart are among those predicted to be open, BestBlackFriday.com reports. Stores have not yet released holiday hours.

Websites that track Black Friday shopping estimate 75 retailers will not be open on Thanksgiving, but will instead wait to fight for their share of millions of American shoppers spending millions of dollars on day-after deals. Three states — Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine — have laws that require stores to close on holidays.

Retailers are continually looking for creative ways to attract the business of consumers who have around-the-clock shopping at their fingertips with online sales and apps that show the best offers available. And at least one retailer, Mills Fleet Farm, is enticing shoppers well before the traditional holiday shopping season this year. The store unveils a large toy department during the holiday shopping season and last week shipped its 66-page catalog to shoppers. A cover banner announces that Toyland doors open at 6 a.m. Saturday, October 14.

Some holiday ads have begun to leak online and consumers seem to be ready to spend on gifts this year. One forecaster expects sales in November and December to increase by as much as 4 percent 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.

Christmas falls 32 days after Thanksgiving this year, one day more than a year ago, and is on a Monday instead of Sunday, giving consumers an extra weekend day to complete their shopping.

Here is the list of stores nationwide that have confirmed they will be closed on Thanksgiving:

• A.C. Moore
• Abt Electronics
• Academy Sports + Outdoors
• Ace Hardware
• American Girl
• Ann Taylor
• Apple Store
• AT&T
• At Home
• Banana Republic
• Barnes & Noble
• Bed Bath & Beyond
• BJ's Wholesale Club
• Blain's Farm & Fleet
• Burlington Coat Factory
• Cabela's
• Campmor
• Christopher and Banks
• Christmas Tree Shops
• Costco
• Craft Warehouse
• Crate and Barrel
• DSW - Designer Shoe Warehouse
• Dillards
• Dress Barn
• Ethan Allen
• Fred Meyer
• Gardner-White Furniture
• Guitar Center
• H&M
• Half Price Books
• Harbor Freight
• Hobby Lobby
• Home Depot
• HomeGoods
• Homesense
• IKEA
• Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores
• Jos. A. Bank
• La-Z-Boy (all corporately owned stores)
• Lowe's
• Marshalls
• Mattress Firm
• Menards
• Micro Center
• Mills Fleet Farm
• Music & Arts
• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom
• Nordstrom Rack
• Northern Tool & Equipment
• Office Depot and OfficeMax
• Outdoor Research (closed Black Friday too)
• P.C. Richard & Son
• Party City
• Patagonia
• Petco
• PetSmart
• Pet Supplies Plus
• Pier 1 Imports
• Pottery Barn
• Publix
• Raymour and Flanagan Furniture
• REI
• Sam Ash
• Sam's Club
• Sephora
• Shoe Carnival
• Sierra Trading Post
• Sportsman's Warehouse
• Sprint (Corporate & Dealer Owned Stores; Mall Kiosks May Open)
• Staples
• Stein Mart
• Sur La Table
• Talbots
• The Container Store
• The Original Mattress Factory
• T.J. Maxx
• Tractor Supply
• Trollbeads
• True Value
• Von Maur
• West Marine
• World Market

The list is compiled from Offers.com, BestBlackFriday.comand TheBlackFriday.com websites.

Shoppers flock to H&M retail store for Black Friday holiday shopping in 2016. The retailer is not expected to be open on Thanksgiving. /Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, Getty Images