Jeanne Boyarsky wrote:I also think they are making things worse for themselves by spreading it out. But they have to open earlier because the other guy did.
I'd say it's true. In my country, shopping centers are open every day except two-and-half days on Christmas (Christmas is the only generally observed "family reunion" holiday here). The retailers sometimes say that hey wouldn't mind to stay closed on state holidays as well, if it was a general rule. But no one will do it unilaterally, because that would hurt their share.
On the other hand, I also believe that shops would not be open on Thanksgiving if people were not willing to shop in them in large numbers. Some countries in Europe have laws to close most shops on Sundays (Austria, for example - so it is certainly possible without the society breaking down

), yet in countries where shopping centers stay open on Sundays, they are packed.