More Stores Open on Christmas Day 2009

The days when Chinese restaurants were just about the only places or stores open on Christmas Day are a thing of the past. While most retail stores continue to honor the tradition of giving their employees the day off, in contrast to Thanksgiving, an increasing number of other stories and businesses are opening their doors on Christmas Day of 2009.

In particular, growing numbers of restaurants are opening their doors on Christmas, in part in response to societal trends that lead fewer Americans to put together the labor-intensive traditional holiday feast. Most International House of Pancakes locations, for instance, are serving today, and TGI Friday’s restaurants in some cities will serve food later in the day. For those not interested in chain or Chinese fare, local independent restaurants in many larger cities – and not just hotel restaurants that cater to hungry travelers -- are also opening for dinner.

Restaurant servers who must work Christmas Day report that their reward for the disruption comes in the form of bigger tips from customers. James Weathers, the manager of Limelight, a club in Nashville that will serve free hot dogs and hamburgers to customers coming in to watch today’s Tennessee Titans-San Diego Chargers football game, told The Tennesseean, "People are probably the most generous tippers on Christmas. So that's the Christmas bonus for our staff. People will say to them, 'Oh, you're working on Christmas. Here!' "

Retailers specializing in convenience goods, such as staple food items and drugs, are also throwing their doors open. Walgreens drugstores, for example, are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today. Most major supermarket chains, however, remain closed today.

Major department and discount stores, like Target, Walmart and Sears, do not feel pressured to open stores today, in contrast to Thanksgiving, where worries about Christmas-season sales volume led many stores to do business on the holiday. However, these retailers are counting on online shopping at their Web sites to provide some holiday business, and some are running special online promotions thisyear to drive traffic.