New York, Safar 15, 1437, November 27, 2015 -- The beginning of the busiest shopping weekend in the US got off to a slower start Friday as several companies pushed back against the recent trend of opening stores on Thursday, dpa reported. After large retailers caused outrage in recent years by kicking off the annual shopping frenzy Thursday evening, which many saw as an infringement on the holiday and its staple turkey dinner, several stores opted this year to remain closed through Thanksgiving and open on Friday only. The fashion retailers H&M and Nordstrom, along with the home improvement store Home Depot and bookstore Barnes and Noble, remained closed on Thanksgiving Day. The outdoor equipment retailer REI went one step further and said it would keep its stores closed on both Thursday and Friday, giving its 12,000 employees paid vacation days off and encouraging them to spend time in nature. The company invited other companies to follow its lead. An estimated 135.8 million people in the US said they were planning to shop between Thursday and Sunday in stores or online, the National Retail Federation said in its annual preliminary survey of the shopping weekend. --SPA 11:38 LOCAL TIME 08:38 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w