With the holiday season drawing nearer, it seems that the American people aren't the only ones thinking about getting a little rest and relaxation to enjoy the holidays. After news broke that REI woudn't be open on either Thanksgiving or Black Friday, as previously reported by HNGN, the list of retailers closing their doors on turkey day continues to grow - with up to 43 shutting down hours to allow their employees to spend the holiday at home, according to Best Black Friday.

Many of the retail companies that are shutting down on Thanksgiving plan to open in the early hours on the following day, Black Friday, to still allow bargain shoppers and discount hunters to crowd their stores for the biggest shopping day of the year. They will not, however, be open throughout the night late Thanksgiving and into the early morning, as is normal tradition.

So, unfortunately, if you planned on stuffing yourself full of turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, and then plowing on over to the local mall for a trip to some of these stores, you'll be quite disappointed to find their doors locked and the gates pulled down.

The real question is, why close? Have these companies examined sales numbers and realized that the late-night shoppers don't boost their profits enough to make it worth it to keep their employees working those long, late shifts? Or did they see that by merely keeping their online stories operational, they could minimize profit loss and maximize employee happiness, like REI? Perhaps they just wanted to give their employees a break and thought that the tradition of relaxation and rest on Thursday night was more important.

Demos Parneros, president of Staples' North American and online stores, said in a press release that "we want our customers and associates to enjoy Thanksgiving their own way."

Parneros was not alone in voicing his desire to close. Lee Bird, the CEO of At Home, announced that the home décor superstore would be closed for the holiday. "Asking our teams to work on this family-centric holiday fell outside our company's core cultural beliefs, so the decision to close on Thanksgiving was an easy one for our leadership team to make," he said, in a press release.

The decisions of these retailers, especially REI which will be closed Black Friday as well and whose "#OptOuside" campaign exploded on Twitter, were met with praise on social media:

No matter what motivated these retailers to close on the Thursday holiday, one of the common reasons seems to revolve around the importance of spending time with family and friends. These companies clearly want to send a message that the holidays should be about family time and well- being, not fighting to the front of a line or rushing to get a one-day deal on something you might not really need.

Maybe the trend will continue to progress in future years - and maybe it will even seep into Black Friday.   

The full list of retailers closed on Thanksgiving thus far includes the following 45 retailers:

  • A.C Moore Arts & Crafts
  • Ace Hardware (locally owned stores)
  • At Home
  • AT&T
  • Barnes & Noble
  • BJ's Wholesale Club
  • Burlington
  • Cabela's
  • Christmas Tree Shops
  • Costco
  • Crate and Barrel
  • Dillard's
  • DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse
  • GameStop
  • Gardner-White Furniture
  • Guitar Center (most locations)
  • Half Price Books
  • Harbor Freight
  • Hobby Lobby
  • Home Depot
  • HomeGoods
  • IKEA
  • Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
  • Lowe's
  • Marshalls
  • Mattress Firm
  • Neiman Marcus
  • Nordstrom
  • Patagonia
  • P.C. Richard & Son
  • PetCo
  • PetSmart
  • Pier 1 Imports
  • Publix
  • REI (closed Black Friday as well)
  • Saks Fifth Avenue
  • Sam's Club
  • Sierra Trading Post
  • Staples
  • Sur La Table
  • T.J.Maxx
  • The Container Store
  • Tractor Supply
  • True Value
  • Von Maur

@ 2024 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.