Thanksgiving becomes a shopping day as stores stay open, online sales jump

Thanksgiving Day used to be off limits. Stores closed, credit cards stayed inside wallets, and Americans spent the day reflecting on the joys of family, friends and football before surrendering to the smorgasbord of shopping known as Black Friday.

But that was before a little invention called the Internet allowed us to shop for that $200 laptop while still digesting the turkey. Without getting off the couch. Even at Grandma's -- she's got WiFi. And it was before retailers, pummeled by the ailing economy and desperate for sales, decided to throw open their doors -- and throw tradition to the wind.

Old Navy kicks off what it calls "Gobblepalooza" on Thanksgiving Day, with free Rock Band guitars to the first customers in the store. For the first time, Wal-Mart is opening nearly all of its more than 3,000 stores across the country on Thanksgiving. Best Buy raked in more online purchases on Thanksgiving last year than any other day in 2008, even though its stores were closed. The company predicted that Thanksgiving would grab the top spot again this year.

"I think in years past it may have been looked at as being insensitive," said Ed Farrell, director of the National Research Center at Consumer Reports. "Now it's almost part of the economic reality."

His researchers found that the percentage of shoppers hitting the stores on Black Friday has gradually declined as retailers roll out big bargains throughout the post-Thanksgiving weekend. In a recent Consumer Reports survey, as many people reported plans to shop on Friday as on Saturday and Sunday. But Farrell said he didn't think to ask about Thanksgiving spending until recently.

"We were sort of caught up short," he said. "Who knew?"

The growing popularity of online retailing -- where stores are always open for business -- has also shifted some Black Friday sales to Thursday. Research firm comScore said online sales on Thanksgiving totaled about $288 million last year, roughly one-third the amount of the busiest holiday shopping days.

John R. Thompson, general manger of Bestbuy.com, summed up the benefits of shopping online in three words: crowd, weather and dress code. The site is planning some Thanksgiving-only deals, such as a free $50 gift card with the purchase of an iPod Touch and 15 to 30 percent discounts on certain appliances. Several Black Friday doorbusters, including some computers, will also be available online starting Thursday.

"Folks manage their time differently these days," Thompson said. "We kind of live in this always connected world."

Wal-Mart said it will have about 50 online promotions on turkey day, including an eight-megapixel digital camera for less than $60 and a Nintendo Wii bundle for under $300. Ebay's pop culture expert Karen Bard said that site saw a spike in traffic last year between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving. This year, the company launched a mobile app to give shoppers instantaneous access to sales.

"You can be sitting at your grandmother's house -- I don't want to say not paying attention -- but you can look up all the best deals on eBay right then and there," she said.

Sam Aurora, 28, of Silver Spring said he generally shops after the annual Thanksgiving meal at his parents' home in Rockville. This year, he's hoping they'll leak some hints of what's on their wish list. That way he can scour the Web when he gets home before he forgets. He said he braved the Black Friday crowds once to shop at Macy's in New York City a few years ago and never wants to do it again.