Stores Are Opting for Smaller Thanksgiving Turkeys Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Say goodbye to the giant turkey feast, because this year, Thanksgiving dinner will look a lot different. Thanksgiving gatherings are getting smaller because of the pandemic, and people are opting for smaller turkeys. Some are even choosing to get premade meals.

At Gelson’s Market in Los Angeles, pre-orders for small Thanksgiving dinners are skyrocketing.

“We have three times the amount of orders this year versus last year,” executive director Paul Kneeland told Inside Edition. “We’re actually getting smaller birds, smaller turkeys, the hams.”

Another sign of the times—the famed Butterball Turkey Talk Line command center has gone virtual. Nicole Johnson has been working in the turkey call center for 19 years.

“Myself, like all the other 49 experts, we’re going to be talking to the consumers from our very own kitchen’s this season,” Johnson told Inside Edition. “We certainly anticipate a lot of first-time cooks, smaller gatherings.”

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