[tubemonkey]

Retailers are finally realizing that starting Black Friday on Thanksgiving is a terrible idea

Retailers have officially lost the so-called "war on Thanksgiving."

An increasing number of retailers are closing on Thanksgiving Day this year in response to backlash against the trend of starting Black Friday sales a day early.

Many retailers say the decision to close is motivated by the fact that Thanksgiving is a day that's meant to be spent at home with family.

"We think Thanksgiving is a day for families and for people we care about," Jill Renslow, the Mall of America's senior vice president of marketing, told The Associated Press of the mall's decision to close on Thanksgiving. "We want to give this day back."

But the real reason stores are staying closed may have more to do with money.

Black Friday sales have fallen in recent years, decreasing 12% to $10.2 billion in 2015 compared to the prior year, according to ShopperTrak. Looking at the entire four-day weekend, brick-and-mortar retail sales fell 10.4%, to $20.4 billion last year.