Retail stores in the Omaha area are split on if they are closing for Thanksgiving or staying open for shoppers.
“It's just the best day of the year as far as retail open up and give customers a great deal,” said Gordmans manager Dana Hosier.
Gordmans in the Shadow Lake Towne Center opens at 5p.m. on Thanksgiving and says it's part of keeping up with the competition.
“We're in a very competitive strip mall and a lot of retailers are doing different things, but we've really stayed to our core-delighting the guests in every store,” said Hosier.
But for other stores, the lights will stay off, the signs flipped to closed.
“There was a lot of pressure to be open on thanksgiving for multiple years,” said Pat Lawlor, owner of Lawlors Custom Sportswear. His stores used to be open on Thanksgiving, not anymore as Lawlor said online shopping let’s people scoop up the deals while giving his 30 employees a break, “It's nice to have a day where we can just watch football and sleep just like everybody else.”
Another small business, Three Dog Bakery in Village Point, feels the same way giving its 25 employees a breather.
“As retail workers you don't get a lot of time off, and we work very long hours so the few holidays we feel like we can let our staff be with their family, we really want to do that,” said Krystal Talha, owner of Three Dog Bakery.
The Ferris wheel wont spin at Scheels either.
“We are a family-based business, first and foremost,” said David Jason Mabey, Assistant Store Leader at Scheels.
That philosophy means 400 employees will enjoy Thanksgiving at home, resting up for the busiest days ahead.
“We want them to enjoy time and relax, enjoy the work that they've done up to this point and be ready to go for the big push to Christmas,” said Mabey.
According to the National Retail Federation, 6 in 10 Americans plan to shop on Thanksgiving weekend.
They say Black Friday is still the most popular day to shop.
