For growing numbers, Thanksgiving is a day for shopping

Thanksgiving is gearing up to be a bigger shopping day this year as shoppers finish their turkeys and then hit the malls to get a jump start on deals and discounts.

Many retailers -- including Walmart, Macy's, Best Buy, Kohl's, Kmart, Sears, Toys R Us, JCPenney, Target, Old Navy and RadioShack -- will open today, on Thanksgiving, again this year. Some will let in customers as early as 8 a.m., but most won't unlock their doors until 6 p.m.

"There has been an increase of Thanksgiving Day sales at the expense of Black Friday," said Danielle Conte, a retail consultant and founder of the shopping blog, YoutailRetail.com in Centerport. "For customers who are out shopping on Thanksgiving, they are out for robust discounts and enjoy the hunt."

Thanksgiving has become increasingly competitive as some retailers move store openings earlier each year. This year, JCPenney will try to one-up some of its competitors by opening at 3 p.m.

"JCPenney has opened on Thanksgiving for the last two years, and the customer response has been positive," JCPenney spokeswoman Carter English said.

Of the estimated 135.8 million consumers who plan to shop online or in a store over the Thanksgiving weekend, 73.5 percent say they will shop on Black Friday compared with 68.2 percent last year, according to the National Retail Federation's preliminary Thanksgiving weekend survey. And 22.3 percent say they will shop on Thanksgiving Day, compared with 18.3 percent in 2014.

"Thanksgiving this year will grow and we will see more and more people accepting it as an option," said Marshal Cohen, retail analyst with the Port Washington-based NPD Group. "It is not going to go away . . . Otherwise, brick and mortar retailers are going to give that day of sales to Amazon."

Retailers that open Thanksgiving want to have first crack at customers' wallets and increase their chances of capturing shoppers' dollars.

"We saw Black Friday become a sport of shopping," Cohen said. "Now, opening on Thanksgiving gives people an opportunity to extend the tradition to Thursday as well. It is also a fun way for the family to get together. "

Still, some retailers refuse to open so employees and customers can spend the holiday with family and friends. Instead, they are directing customers to their websites to shop from home.

Retailers opting to close on Thanksgiving -- including P.C. Richard & Son, Nordstrom, H&M, Burlington Stores, DSW, GameStop, and the Home- Goods, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls group of stores -- plan to open tomorrow, Black Friday, as early as 5 a.m.

This year, Staples, which was open on Thanksgiving the past two years, decided to stay closed. Instead, stores will open at 6 a.m. Black Friday.

Meanwhile, outdoor specialty chain REI made the decision to remain closed on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday. REI has a store in Carle Place.