Month: November 2016

In recent years, the Black Friday craze has inched further and further into Thanksgiving. With stores opening as early as 5 p.m. on Thursday, festive dinners are being overshadowed by shopping frenzies. Retailers like to point the blame at consumers—according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, almost six in 10 Americans plan to shop Thanksgiving weekend—but opening a day early also runs the risk of cannibalizing sales that could have been made on Friday. Furthermore, with stores open the day before, the idea of going shopping in the middle of the night for already picked-over merchandise seems unnecessary.

But there are still stores that allow workers to stay home and enjoy the holiday. We worked with Best Black Friday to find out which companies decided not to open on Thanksgiving. 

1. DSW

In a status update on the company’s Facebook page, DSW said: “We’re closed for Thanksgiving so our associates can celebrate with friends and family.”

2. COSTCO

The warehouse club has always had a reputation for being good to their employees. This Thanksgiving, Costco’s nearly 150,000 employees will have the opportunity to spend the holiday with their families.

3. NORDSTROM

Nordstrom won’t be open for business on Thanksgiving, but some employees will still be coming in for work. “[F]or the past 40+ years, some of our employees work on Thanksgiving eve and into the wee hours of the morning on Thanksgiving Day to decorate our stores with our holiday trim. This is mostly a group of employees who have volunteered to be there and some bring along relatives or friends to join in,” a spokesperson told ThinkProgress in 2014. “We’ll also have a small team working in our Nordstrom.com Call Centers on Thanksgiving to serve the many customers who shop online that day.”

4. DILLARD’S

In 2014, Dillard’s spokesperson told ThinkProgress, “We choose to remain closed on Thanksgiving in longstanding tradition of honoring of our customers’ and associates’ time with family.”

5. BJ’S WHOLESALE CLUB

BJ’s Wholesale Club has confirmed they will be closed Thanksgiving. In 2013, their CEO told The Huffington Post, “call me old-fashioned, but I feel that it’s an easy decision to make [to stay closed on Thanksgiving].”

6. BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY

The retailer has made a point of staying closed for the past two years as well.

7. REI

REI will not be open for Thanksgiving or Black Friday. Because the sporting goods retailer says that they “believe that being outside makes our lives better,” their CEO is “paying our employees to head outside.”

8. AMERICAN GIRL

You will have to wait until Friday to pick up a doll. 

9. CRATE & BARREL

Crate & Barrel employees will be staying home on Thanksgiving this year.

10. JO-ANN FABRICS AND CRAFTS

“Out of respect to our Team Members and their families, Jo-Ann stores will not be open Thanksgiving Day,” Travis Smith, then-CEO and president of Jo-Ann Stores, Inc., said in 2011. “We ask a lot from our Team Members during the holidays, and Thanksgiving Day is a valued tradition for many families. We believe it is important for our Team Members to be able to spend this time with their loved ones.” The tradition continues this year.

11. T.J. MAXX

“We feel so strongly about our employees spending Thanksgiving with their families,” said spokeswoman Doreen Thompson. “And we don’t anticipate this changing in the future.”

12. MARSHALLS

Marshalls, like T.J. Maxx, is owned by TJX and will therefore also be closed.

13. PIER 1 IMPORTS

Pier 1 Imports decided to stay closed for the holiday.

14. PUBLIX

You’ll have to buy your last-minute Thanksgiving fixings somewhere else.

15. SIERRA TRADING POST

“As in past years, Sierra Trading Post stores will be closed on Thanksgiving so our Associates can enjoy the holiday with family and friends,” said spokesperson Juliette Rule.

16. BARNES & NOBLE

Barnes & Noble wants their employees to enjoy the holiday with their families.

17. SAM’S CLUB

Sam’s Club is closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

18. IKEA

Most IKEA locations in the U.S. will be closed on Thanksgiving so employees can spend time with family and friends. So if you’re craving Swedish meatballs instead of turkey (or, you know, you really need an ottoman), you’ll have to wait it out.

19. THE HOME DEPOT

The Home Depot stays closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

20. PATAGONIA

When asked why in 2014, a spokesperson responded,“It’s a holiday—we’re closed!”

21. STAPLES 

Staples was open in previous years, but changed their mind beginning last year. “We want our customers and associates to enjoy Thanksgiving their own way,” said Demos Parneros, president, North American stores and online. “On Thanksgiving Day, customers can shop from home on Staples.com and then continue their shopping in stores starting at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.”

22. GAMESTOP

“We believe strongly that our customers and associates should have the opportunity to spend the Thanksgiving holiday relaxing with family and friends, and not worrying with the stress of where to find the best shopping deals. We know this is in stark contrast to what many other retailers are doing, but we are taking a stance to protect family time during this important holiday,” Mike Buskey, executive vice president and president of U.S. Stores, said in a press release last year.

23. LOWE’S

The hardware giant has decided to give its employees the day off to spend with their families. 

24. GUITAR CENTER

The musical instrument retailer will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. The rocking will recommence on Friday morning.

25. MALL OF AMERICA

The overwhelming majority of stores housed in the Minnesota mecca of retail will be closed for Thanksgiving. “We are so pleased that our tenants have embraced this opportunity to give their employees the day to enjoy Thanksgiving with their families and friends,” mall spokesman Dan Jasper said in an email to the Star Tribune.

26. THE CONTAINER STORE

Last year, The Container Store issued a statement expressing its hope that the holiday would give employees the chance to “recharge and renew and come back to work ready to take on the holiday season.“

27. NEIMAN MARCUS

The luxury department store will be closed for Thanksgiving. But if you’re so inclined, you can buy Thanksgiving dinner from them for a neat $495.

28. PETCO

PETCO employees will be spending the holiday home with their own cats and dogs.

29. OUTDOOR RESEARCH

On its website, the outdoor apparel and gear company said it would be joining REI in its #OptOutside initiative, and will be closed on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

30. OFFICE DEPOT

In a press release, Troy Rice, chief operating officer of North America for Office Depot, Inc. said: “As we evaluated our store hours for this holiday and weighed the business and personal considerations, we decided it was best to provide our associates with the day off to spend time with family and friends by closing our retail stores on Thanksgiving Day.”

This is just a fraction of the list of stores deciding to stay closed on Thanksgiving. Check out of the full list on Best Black Friday. 

California seems to hold a particular fascination in songwriters’ hearts—the state and its cities are name-dropped in an incredibly diverse range of songs from across the decades, like “California Dreamin’,” “Californication,” “California Girls” (and Katy Perry’s nod, “California Gurls”), and “L.A. Woman,” to name just a few. But there are plenty of other geographical locations that have made it onto the musical map, too.

Luckily, as WIRED reports, the UK-based designers at Dorothy have created a map to remind you of those oft-forgotten world jams, be it “24 Hours From Tulsa,” “Back in the USSR,” or “Goodnight Saigon.”

The poster (priced at about $31 plus shipping) assigns at least a few songs to every country, spreading more that 1000 songs across the globe. An index at the bottom lists every song featured with the corresponding artist.

Not all of the selections are songs that directly reference the region in question, though. Some are cheeky references to a region’s reputation, history, or politics. “American Idiot” goes to Florida and “Welcome to the Jungle” to Brazil, while “Another Brick in the Wall” travels to China. (You can zoom in on the full version here to see them all).

[h/t WIRED]

All images courtesy Dorothy.

The first Rocky—which was released 40 years ago—told a seemingly improbable rags-to-riches story about a loan shark/amateur boxer going the full 15 rounds against a champion fighter that weirdly mirrored the improbable story of how the movie went from a distant dream of Sylvester Stallone’s to a real, Best Picture Oscar-winning film and subsequent franchise. On the 40th anniversary of the original film’s release, here are some heavy-hitting, high-flying facts about the Rocky series.

1. STALLONE WROTE THE FIRST DRAFT OF ROCKY IN THREE AND A HALF DAYS.

With a little bit of screenwriting experience, and the idea for Rocky in his head for almost a year after witnessing a Muhammad Ali fight, Sylvester Stallone—who had $106 in the bank at the time—spent about 84 hours using a pad and a pen to write the first draft of Rocky. In his original version, Adrian was Jewish, Mickey was racist, the Paulie character was Adrian’s Jewish mother, Apollo Creed was Jamaican, and the script ended with Rocky throwing the fight and opening a pet store for Adrian with the money he made.

2. THE STUDIO WAS INTERESTED IN HAVING JAMES CAAN, BURT REYNOLDS, OR RYAN O’NEAL PLAY ROCKY.

United Artists offered Stallone up to $340,000 to sell them the rights to the screenplay if he agreed to not star in the movie. When the budget was lowered to $1 million, the studio was no longer allowed to keep Stallone from starring. He was paid $20,000 for the script and a SAG minimum of $350 per week for acting instead.

3. ADRIAN WAS ALMOST PLAYED BY SUSAN SARANDON.

Stallone and the producers decided that she was “too sexy.” Cher was also considered. Bette Midler was offered the role but turned it down. Carrie Snodgress had in fact won the part, until her agent asked for too much money. Talia Shire auditioned at the last minute to save the day.

4. STALLONE AND CARL WEATHERS REHEARSED THEIR (FIRST) BIG FIGHT FOR FOUR WEEKS.

Director John G. Avildsen shot their rehearsals on Super 8 so that the actors could see what they were doing. When it came time for the actual pretend Creed/Balboa I, filmed at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, producers advertised that anyone who showed up to play the audience would receive a free chicken dinner.

5. ROCKY AND ADRIAN VISITED THE SKATING RINK AFTER IT WAS CLOSED FOR BUDGETARY REASONS.

Originally, Adrian and Rocky have a date during the skating rink’s operating hours. Because it would’ve cost money to pay for extras to skate around them, Avildsen asked Stallone to change the scene so that the couple had the rink all to themselves.

6. IT WAS A FAMILY AFFAIR FOR THE STALLONES.

Sly’s brother, Frank Stallone Jr., played a street corner singer in Rocky, while Frank Sr. was the timekeeper for the fight. Stallone’s first wife, Sasha, received a kiss from Rocky during his training session in Rocky III.

7. CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND ELVIS PRESLEY WERE FANS OF THE FIRST MOVIE.

Chaplin wrote to Stallone that Rocky reminded the silent film star of a character he used to play. Stallone regretted turning down Chaplin’s invitation to visit him in Switzerland after the director died a few months later. Similarly, Stallone turned down Elvis’ offer to watch Rocky with him in Memphis months before The King passed away.

8. BURT YOUNG LOST WEIGHT FOR THE SEQUEL BECAUSE HE HADN’T PLANNED ON BEING IN IT.

He lost weight for another film; Young initially did not want to play Paulie again. Stallone wrote a line into Rocky II to address the obvious physical difference.

9. ROCKY’S FAMOUS RUN LASTED FOR 30.61 MILES.

Or his run in the sequel did, according to a 2013 calculation by Philadelphia magazine. Eight hundred Philadelphia children were used as extras for Rocky’s run from his house to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

10. THERE WAS AN ALTERNATE ENDING TO ROCKY II.

Footage was shot of Adrian and Paulie actually witnessing Rocky and Apollo’s second fight in person, instead of back at home with the newborn baby. In that version, Adrian gets swept up into the ring with the other spectators and ends up in Rocky’s arms to end the movie.

11. THERE WAS A BIG DEBATE OVER THE ROCKY STATUE.

Stallone donated the 8’6”, 2000-pound statue of Rocky Balboa to the Philadelphia Museum of Art after filming of Rocky III concluded. Philly residents were divided on whether or not the statue deserved to remain at the top of the museum steps. The Art Commission eventually placed it on the sidewalk of the Philadelphia Spectrum sports arena. It briefly returned to the top of the steps in 1990 for Rocky V, then back to the Spectrum until 2006, when it traveled to the base of the Art Museum steps for its 30th anniversary, where it remains.

12. WYOMING AND CANADA PLAYED THE ROLE OF THE SOVIET UNION IN ROCKY IV.

The epic training Rocky went through before fighting Ivan Drago was shot in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Camera, sound, and transportation equipment froze in the minus-20-degree weather. The Balboa/Drago match held in Drago’s U.S.S.R. was filmed at the PNE Agrodome in Vancouver, British Columbia.

13. DOLPH LUNDGREN SENT STALLONE TO THE HOSPITAL.

Lundgren hit Stallone so hard in the chest when shooting the first round of the Balboa/Drago fight that Stallone’s heart hit his breastbone and began to swell. Had he not been sent to the ER and then intensive care for eight days, the heart would have continued to swell until he died.

14. ROCKY WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE AT THE END OF ROCKY V.

Stallone cried writing the death of his iconic character. It was all for no reason, since two weeks into filming, Avildsen—who came back to direct Rocky V after Stallone directed parts II, III, and IV himself—was told by a studio executive that Rocky Balboa, like Batman, Superman, and James Bond, could never die. In the original script, Tommy “Machine” Gunn kills Balboa in their street fight, concluding with Adrian giving a heartfelt speech to the reporters crowded outside the hospital about how Rocky’s spirit will live on forever. 

15. BOXERS JOE FRAZIER AND CHUCK WEPNER FELT THAT STALLONE TREATED THEM UNFAIRLY AFTER HEAVILY BORROWING FROM THEIR LIVES TO WRITE THE MOVIES.

Before Rocky Balboa did it, “Smokin'” Joe Frazier ran the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and spent some early mornings punching meat at the slaughterhouse that employed him. He said in 2008 that he only received compensation for his Rocky walk-on cameo, and it was all a “sad story” for him. Stallone was initially inspired by watching Muhammad Ali fight a major underdog fighter named Chuck Wepner in 1975, who lost but managed to knock Ali down once in the match and became a local New Jersey hero. Wepner even wrestled Andre the Giant at Shea Stadium before Balboa battled the Hulk Hogan character Thunderlips in Rocky III. Wepner sued Stallone in 2003. The two settled for an undisclosed amount.

Ali, meanwhile, noted the similarities between himself and Apollo Creed. He didn’t seem to mind.

16. ROCKY’S TURTLES CUFF AND LINK OUTLIVED A COUPLE OF THE CHARACTERS.

The female red-eared sliders that appeared in 2006’s Rocky Balboa are the same turtles from the original 1976 picture.

Boarding an airplane with food can be tricky business—especially during the holiday season. Wondering which Thanksgiving dishes pass muster with airport officials? Here’s a rundown of feast items that can be packed inside your carry-on or checked bags. (To see the full list of permitted edible goods, visit the Transportation Security Administration’s official website.)

You can check cakes and pies in your luggage, or take them on the plane as a carry-on. (The TSA recommends you do the latter so they won’t get squashed.) If you must check a dessert, Condé Nast Traveler recommends wrapping it in plastic, placing it inside a sturdy cardboard box, and swaddling the box in a blanket or bubble wrap. If you’re toting it by hand, make sure the packaging is sturdy enough to survive security checkpoints, overhead bins, and additional TSA screenings.

The TSA’s typical rule for liquids applies to Thanksgiving sauces and spreads. You’ll have to check cranberry sauce, gravy, jams, and jellies if they’re stored inside a receptacle that’s larger than 3.4 ounces. You can bring them on the plane if they’re transported in a 3.4-ounce container that’s placed inside a sealed, clear, quart-sized zip-top bag (just like your shampoo).

Turkeys and turduckens are OK for both carry-on and checked bags, so long as they are packed in a maximum of five pounds dried ice and the cooler or shipping box doesn’t exceed your airline’s carry-on size allowance. If the meat is packed in regular ice, it must be completely frozen as it goes through security.

Check all wine bottles exceeding 3.4 ounces. According to Vine Pair, you can prevent potential disasters by storing bottles in a hard suitcase, lining the interior with soft clothing, and wrapping the bottles in even more clothing before tucking them inside the suitcase’s middle. You can also make things easier by buying a special valise designed to transport wine.

Unsure about additional food items? Ask the TSA by tweeting a picture to @AskTSA, contacting the agency via Facebook Messenger, or visiting TSA.gov and using the “What can I bring?” search function.