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More stores will close on Thanksgiving, bucking recent trend

More than 75 major retailers are expected to be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

At shopper leaves Kmart in Glassboro with a shopping cart full of bags at 7am on Thanksgiving morning last year.
At shopper leaves Kmart in Glassboro with a shopping cart full of bags at 7am on Thanksgiving morning last year.Read moreELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer

More than 75 major retailers are expected to be closed on Thanksgiving, bucking a recent trend in which stores began their Black Friday sales on the holiday to lure more shoppers.

Among the national retailers that will close that day are Home Depot, Lowe's, Marshalls, Costco, Burlington, and DSW-Designer Shoe Warehouse, according to BestBlackFriday.com, which compiles information related to holiday shopping.

REI took the lead two years ago when it gave all its employees Thanksgiving and Black Friday off. Last year, 60 national retailers gave workers Thanksgiving off.

A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns 10 malls in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, said the company had not finalized its plans for Thanksgiving. Last year, PREIT closed Plymouth Meeting Mall, Moorestown Mall, and Gallery II.

BestBlackFriday.com said it had confirmed that 60 major retailers plan to shut their doors on Thanksgiving. But the website said it expected the number to be higher based on the number of stores that closed on the holiday in recent years. Those retailers, which have not yet confirmed whether they will close, include Nordstrom, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Christmas Tree Shops.

Many shoppers say they would rather see retailers close on Thanksgiving to give their employees time to be with their families, according to the website.

With consumer confidence up and unemployment down, retail sales are expected to jump as much as 4 percent this holiday season, according to the National Retailers Federation. Some stores have begun increasing staffing in anticipation of a busy season.