Last-minute Thanksgiving shoppers pack grocery stores

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Shoppers are making the last-minute dash to stores before they close for the Thanksgiving holiday.

It’s the night before Thanksgiving and across north Texas, grocery stores are packed with people shopping for turkey and trimmings.

“Make is a very strong word. I’m just going to turn the oven on and I’m hopefully going to set it and forget it,” said Jon Chavez, a shopper in Plano.

At Market Street in Plano, nearly 200 employees are keeping shelves stocked and check-out lines moving.

40 today is prob the busiest day of the year for us.

Store director Rob Bazewicz says Thanksgiving is the bread and butter for business.

“This year you see a lot of folks coming in with their kids from college. It’s more of an experience folks coming in whereas last year they try to get in and out real quick,” said Bazewicz.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the cost of a Thanksgiving meal for ten this year is $61.17 or less than $6.20 per person.

That’s a 4.5% decrease from last year’s record-high average of $64.05, but a Thanksgiving meal is still 25% higher than it was in 2019.

For Sandi Deveau, money can’t buy what she’s most thankful for.

“My husband went through the some surgeries in the summer that were very serious and he’s doing well so this is the best Thanksgiving,” said Deveau.