Balancing Tradition with Shopping Thanksgiving Black Friday Weekend

More and more stores are opening doors Thanksgiving Day to compete with online retail. Years prior, online shopping had this day to themselves but I remember last year popping a turkey in the oven and rushing out to Toys “R’ Us to buy the new LeapFrog LeapPad2 game and cartridges at an unbelievable savings. However, I didn’t read the fine print and I was stuck in so much traffic to arrive at a location that wasn’t opened that day. By the time I drove to another store, LeapPad2 was sold out. Lukily, I did manage to purchase some games. Because turkeys take so long to cook, nothing was ruined.

Last year only a few stores were opened on Thanksgiving but this year Macy’s and J.C Penny have announced opening doors at 5pm. Every year we are seeing the holiday move earlier and earlier because of brick-and-mortar stores competing with online sales. A lot of retail stores will not offer the same deals online as they do in stores.
According to the 2014 Holiday Shopping Prediction by Adobe Digital Index, the biggest single-day drop in online prices will occur the Sunday to Monday before Thanksgiving.

These facts are good to know for people that don’t want the pressure of worrying about holiday presents when they want to spend time with family and friends, even if only in the physical presence sense. I have been at many Thanksgiving family gatherings while the men are watching football; the women are cooking and the kids are on their tablets and smart phones.

Pros of Online Shopping Thanksgiving Weekend
• Most offer free shipping
• Retailers aren’t working in stores away from family during the holiday
• Consumers can remain with family
• No waiting in line to be served
• Easier and faster to check competitor prices

Cons of Online Shopping Thanksgiving Weekend
• Cannot try on sizes
• Retailers don’t always offer the same merchandise online as in stores
• Cannot see physical product