Why Thanksgiving is a Happy Holiday for Business

Just in case you didn’t know, today is Thanksgiving! In honour of this holiday, we take a look at the numbers behind the day.

It’s getting towards the end of the year, the real crunch time for businesses and supply chains as they head towards the festive period. For supply chains in America (plus all the other organisations supplying to the USA at this time of year), Thanksgiving represents an additional challenge to be accounted for at this time of year.

Looking solely at Thanksgiving itself (more on Black Friday tomorrow…), it’s clear that businesses have plenty to be in good cheer about.

Talking Turkey

It’s estimated this year that a staggering $2.8 billion will be spent this year at Thanksgiving on food alone. That’s nearly $9 for every person currently living in the USA. Over 51 million turkeys will be eaten today, around 20 per cent of the total number of turkeys raised in the USA in 2015.

These numbers go on:

• Over 51 million turkeys will be consumed on Thanksgiving
• This equates to around 20 per cent of the total number of turkeys raised in the USA in 2015
• The average cost of a family Thanksgiving dinner is over $50 for the first time ever
• The average cost of a single turkey has increased by $1.39, to $23.04 (a 6.4 per cent rise from 2014)

Travel Woes

Businesses and supply chains will be ready far in advance of this week, with all the required stock already at its final destination, ready to be picked up by consumers. And this is just as well, given the increased level of traffic on the roads:

Even although most Americans say that Thanksgiving is the worst time of year to be travelling, 46.9 million of them will be travelling for the holiday. And, due to falling petrol prices, 42 million will be driving. In 2014, the average length of trip was a 549 mile round-trip.

Tradition vs. Today

Thanksgiving has come a long way since the first celebration, held by the founders of the Plymouth Colony, back in 1621. In nearly 400 years of celebration, just about the only thing left of “tradition” is the turkey. Check out this great infographic from History.com to see the changes:

All that is left to do is to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving from the Procurious team!