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By Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC  

In 2012, the big story around the Thanksgiving holiday was that retailers were opening at midnight. This year, the timetable has moved up, with many major retailers opening in the early evening on Thanksgiving.

In September, Menards had Halloween and Christmas items on display at the same time.

Amid all of the doorbusters and competition for consumers' wallets, another movement has been underway. A backlash is happening, with major retailers such as Nordstrom, Home Depot and Costco staying dark on Thanksgiving.

I'm also seeing more enthusiasm for Small Business Saturday, which was created by American Express in 2010 as a way to encourage consumers to shop at their local stores. However, there are ways that non-retail small businesses can participate in Small Business Saturday as well.

We need to preserve Thanksgiving for family (and football) before it's too late. Shopping can wait.

P.S. To get a quick overview of the shopping days around Thanksgiving, read this earlier post.

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