Some large retailers have announced their stores will be closed on Thanksgiving. They include Nordstrom, Crate and Barrel, Home Depot, GameStop, and Barnes & Noble.
But that's unlikely to become a wider trend in the near future, according to faculty at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
"The big categories that sell electronics, toys, clothing - most of those stores, they're still going to be open on Thanksgiving Day," said Ross School Professor Puneet Manchanda.
Manchanda said retail is extremely competitive, and the stakes are too high for stores that sell in the big holiday categories.
According to Manchanda, a lot of retailers have found they have not made more money by opening on Thanksgiving, as well as Friday. "So the overall benefits are not very clear," said Manchanda. "But it's just that you may lose because somebody's open and you're not. So that's where the pressure's been coming from."
Manchanda said surveys show many consumers think stores should be closed on Thanksgiving so it's not commercialized. But about 45 percent of consumers also say they would shop on the holiday.
